Fantahun Shewankochew, a highly acclaimed Ethiopian musician, has once again mesmerized audiences with the release of his album, “Lemen?!” The album, which blends Ethio-jazz, traditional Ethiopian music, and contemporary elements was officially unveiled at the Alliance Francaise Toronto Theatre.
ኢትዮጵያዊው ሙዚቀኛ ፋንታሁን ሸዋንቆጨው “ለምን” የተሰኘውን አዲሱን አልበሙን በአሊያንስ ፍራንሴይ ቶሮንቶ ቲያትር አስመረቀ ፡፡
ታዋቂው ኢትዮጵያዊ ሙዚቀኛ ፋንታሁን ሸዋንቆጨው በዚህ አዲስ አልበሙም ተመልካቾችን በድጋሚ አስደምሟል። ይህ አልበም ኢትዮ-ጃዝን፣ የኢትዮጵያን ባህላዊ ሙዚቃን እና ዘመናዊ የሙዚቃ ስልትን አጣምሮ የያዘ ነው ።
“ለምን?!” የሸዋንቆጨው አምስተኛ አልበም ሲሆን ትኩረት የሚስቡ ዜማዎቹን ተከትሎ አድማጩ ሊዝናናባቸው እና ሊነጋገርባቸው የሚችሉ ጉዳዮችን አንስቷል
የ ፋንታሁን ሙዚቃ አድናቂዎች ለ አዲሱ አልበሙ ያላቸውን አስተያየት ለኢትዮ ፊደል ገልጸዋል ፡፡ ባዩ ኪዳኔ እና ፋሲካ ወልደሰንበት የቶሮንቶ የጥበብ አፍቃሪያን ናቸው ፡፡ ለዘመናት በማይቀየረው የ ፋንታሁን የ ሙዚቃ ተሰጥኦ እንደተገረሙ ለኢትዮፊደል ገልጸውልናል
አርቲስት ፋንታሁን ለአዲሱ አልበም ስራ የረዱትን በሙሉ አመስግኗል፡፡
ብቻዬን ቁጭ ብዬ ክራሬን ብቃኘው በሚለው ዜማ የሚታወቀው እና ከቀድምት የ ብሄራዊ ቲያትር ባለሙያዎች ውስጥ ጎልቶ የሚጠቀሰው ፋንታሁን ሸዋንቆጨው ካናዳን ጨምሮ በበርካታ አገራት ባቀረባቸው ዝግጅቶቹ ይታወቃል ፡፡
“Lemen?!” marks Shewankochew’s fifth album, following the success of “Adera (An Undertaking)” in April 2016. This latest release promises to be a captivating exploration of Ethiopian music, infused with modern elements that appeal to a diverse audience. Shewankochew’s music also carries critical socio-political reflections, providing thought-provoking narratives through his melodies.
Fans and music enthusiasts from the community have shown immense support and appreciation for Shewankochew’s latest endeavor. Bayu Kidane and Fasika Weldesenbet, Toronto art lovers, expressed their admiration for his unwavering talent, while Nadine Macnukty, the artistic director of Batuki Music Society, predicts that “Lemen?!” will be a resounding success.
Shewankochew, renowned for his remarkable talent as a kirar player, vocalist, composer, and arranger, has been deeply immersed in Ethiopia’s rich cultural heritage since his childhood in Addis Ababa. Having graduated from the prestigious Yared School of Music in Addis Ababa, where he honed his skills in the unique tunings of Ethiopian music, Shewankochew brings a wealth of experience to his performances. Prior to his move to Toronto, he served as the music department coordinator at the Ethiopian National Theatre.
Throughout his career, Shewankochew has enchanted audiences around the world with his versatile musicianship. From stages in China to Venezuela, he has left an indelible mark on the global music scene. Notably, he collaborated with popular singer Gigi on an album of Ethiopian love songs. Since his arrival in Toronto in 2011, Shewankochew has delighted local music enthusiasts at renowned venues such as the Harbourfront Centre, the Music Gallery, Lula Lounge, and Daniel’s Spectrum. His participation in the all-star collective at the Glenn Gould Studio for CBC’s Canada Live and the Luminato Festival further solidified his reputation as an exceptional performer.
Grateful for the invaluable support received, Fantahun Shewankochew expressed his gratitude to the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Ethiopian Airlines, and Batuki Music Society. Their contributions have enabled him to share his artistic vision with his fans and foster cultural exchange and appreciation.
Fantahun also paid respect to Ethiopia’s legendry musician Maritu Legessefor her attendance at the album release .
Fans are eagerly grabbing copies of Fantahun Shewankochew’s “Lemen?!” album, eager to embark on an unforgettable musical journey that seamlessly bridges tradition and innovation.
Photos by ethiofidel.
