Samuel Yirga

Samuel Yirga
Born	Addis Ababa
Origin	Ethiopia
Genres	Ethiopian music fused with different styles
Occupation(s)	Musician, composer, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Piano
Labels	Real World

Website	samuelyirga.com

Musical artist

Samuel Yirga is an Ethiopian musician^[1] and composer signed to Peter Gabriel's Real World Records.

Overview

At the age of 16, Samuel was accepted into Yared School of Music in Addis Ababa.^[2] He was later dismissed for his tendency to experiment and his insistence on playing traditional and contemporary Ethiopian music, instead of adhering to the classical curriculum.^[2]^[3] His music fuses traditional azmari music, Ethio-jazz, dub, reggae, jazz, Latin, and classical music.^[2]^[3]

The title of his debut album, Guzo, means "journey".^[3] Featured vocalists include the Creole Choir of Cuba, Iraqi-British singer Mel Gara, and Nigerian-British singer Nicolette. Dubulah (Nick Page) produced the album. Instrumentalists on the album hail from Ethiopia, Europe and the Caribbean.

Samuel is also a member of Dub Colossus and Ethiopian funk band Nubian Arc.^[2]

Discography

Albums

Guzo - 2012 (Real World Records)^[4]


Contributing artist

The Rough Guide to the Music of Ethiopia - 2012 (World Music Network)
Hagere - 2011 (EP, 4 tracks)
The Habesha Sessions - 2011 (6 tracks)

References

^ "Samuel Yirga: Guzo – review". The Guardian. 5 July 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Samuel Yirga". Real World Records. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c Eyre, Banning (21 November 2012). "Samuel Yirga: A Prodigy Reviving Ethiopian Jazz". All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
^ "Guzo, by Samuel Yirga". Real World Records. Retrieved 2022-07-11.