KUTU – Musicalista

A euphoric dip in the effervescence of the underground nights of Addis Ababa!

Burning the dance floor with a violin? Done! Make use of the collaboration of two of the most important singers of the Ethiopian rock scene? Done! Call Cyril Atef to put the icing on the cake of this powerful project? Done! KUTU is a precious, unique and terribly powerful alliance #ethiotranse

Theo Ceccaldi invites us into a cosmic universe between traditional Azmari influences, furious electro-mystical trance, thunderous slam and punk energy. A physical and psychic experience, at the same time original and hypnotic, where the freedom of jazz blends with the raw depth of the sounds of the Azmari.

KUTU was born from the encounter in Addis Ababa of violinist Théo Ceccaldi (one of the most promising talents of the French jazz scene, already winner of the Victoires de la Musique in 2017) with the powerful voices of the two Ethiopian singers Hewan Gebrewold & Haleluya Tekletsadik. A journey into the heart of the feverish nights of the Addis underground 2020, where the hyperactive youth takes possession of ancestral music to emancipate and have fun. Starting from today’s poems and a collection of tribal rhythms, Théo Ceccaldi imagines a telluric set where improvisation and vocal acrobatics intersect, supported by a powerful rhythm and a line up of contagious vitality: electro-cosmic keyboards, hypnotic basses, exalted dances and stellar voices.

Touched by the voices of the Azmari, discovered thanks to the series Les Éthiopiques by Francis Falceto, Théo Ceccaldi leaves in 2019 for Addis Ababa, to explore the contemporary scene of Ethiopian music. Here he discovers a rich and unknown repertoire, and above all, Hewan G/Wold and Haleluya T/Tsadik, two amazing Ethiopian-rock singers. Alchemy works. With them, around them, Kutu explodes and shines, yet another challenge of this genius violinist and improviser thirsty for novelty. At their side bassist Valentin Ceccaldi and the incredible drummer-percussionist Cyril Atef. Kutu takes us into a continuous trance, a hypnotic celebration of Ethiopian music, electro and jazz. A journey we would like to love forever.

A euphoric dip in the effervescence of the underground nights of Addis Ababa!

Burning the dance floor with a violin? Done! Make use of the collaboration of two of the most important singers of the Ethiopian rock scene? Done! Call Cyril Atef to put the icing on the cake of this powerful project? Done! KUTU is a precious, unique and terribly powerful alliance #ethiotranse

Theo Ceccaldi invites us into a cosmic universe between traditional Azmari influences, furious electro-mystical trance, thunderous slam and punk energy. A physical and psychic experience, at the same time original and hypnotic, where the freedom of jazz blends with the raw depth of the sounds of the Azmari.