Self-taught on krar-lyre, favourite instrument of the azmari; and — alternately poignant and sarcastic — the last great singer, story-teller and free-thinker to carry on their tradition of poetic cut-and-thrust.

For Ethiopians, their greatest singer of all time; with music arranged by Mulatu Astatqe for the Army Band, the Exhibition Band, the Police Orchestra, the Bodyguard Band.

The sequel to Volume 2 in this series, and featuring many of the same singers, accompanied by the messenqo (one-string fiddle), the krar lyre, the kebero drum and the accordion.

Alemye, from 1974.

The azmaris were originally wandering minstrels, roaming the Abyssinian countryside. These varied snapshots of the musical life of Addis Ababa in the 1990s are offered as a kind of homage to them.

Unmissable, wonderful solo piano. Chopin, Tatum, Satie and company, steeped in the Ethiopian sound.

Like volumes one and three, drawing on the legendary Amha Records catalogue, with several newcomers to this fantastic series, and a couple of very early Mulatus. You know what to do.

The great singer in rambunctious, rootsy and jazzy recordings from 1972-4.

Precious relics from Berlin, 1908. UNESCO has stumped up for a lavish presentation, with fine notes and translations; but surely the fly in the ointment is the difficulty of actually listening through the music.

The Imperial Bodyguard Band singer, who tuned his guitar like an oud. Oromo reasoning about love, existence and resistance, with a tasty Arab twang. Mississippi presented him on vinyl recently.

Bluesily poetic baritone singing in the great post-war tradition of Assèfa Abatè, Fréw Haylou, Asnaqètch Wèrqu, Kètèma Mèkonnen and co. Lovely.

Sublimely tilted like Sun Ra, rocking like James Brown at the Apollo, the tracks here by police bands are a reminder that Ethiopia at the time had no independent modern groups.

Presenting the musical giant, keyboardist Mulatu Astake — that’s him on the sleeve with Duke Ellington.

The music of Tigray and Eritrea — where the majorities speak the Tigrigna language — is rhythmically and melodically different from Ethiopian music.

His first LP, Almaz, originally released in 1973.

Collects Ahmed’s 1975 recordings for the Kaifa label, including the LP Ere Mela Mela released in Europe by Crammed Discs, back in 1986.

Soul, rhythm and blues, even the Twist re-articulated in Addis Ababa.

Frantic rock and heartrending ballads from this showman with the Little Richard pompadour.

Traditional Islamic folk music from China, with Arabic, Persian, and Turkish influences: Kazakh, Uyghur, Kirgiz and Mongol Erut musicians on stringed instruments like topchar, komuz, rushtar, rawab, tchang.

Infectious songs and rootical instrumentals — the fifth SF album presenting Laurent ‘Kink Gong’ Jeanneau’s amazing documentation of the vanishing indigenous music of the rural Asian frontiers.

Her classic third LP, from 1971, originally released by Odeon Brazil.
‘Gems like Que Bandeira, composed by Marcos Valle, blending funk/soul and bossa/MPB; Esperar Prá Ver, co-written by her brother Renato Corrêa, with its stunning arrangement and an epic bassline that is hard to get out of your head; the archetypal samba soul of Só Quero; and vocal-driven groovy jams like Por Mera Coincidência and Rico Sem Dinheiro, spiced with celestial strings and heavy-duty drums and basslines.’