In the past, say the mid-nineties, the world was still uncluttered: African music was played by Africans and the Sub Pop label only contained noisy guitar straps. How different is that in 2012 when Debo Band is under contract with Sub Pop. The twenty (!) Band members of this loose-fitting collective look like an alternative meeting of the United Nations with black, white, brown and yellow band
… members. They find each other in their love for African music, more specifically the afro jazz and funk invented by the Ethiopian pioneer Mulatu Astatke in the 1970s. Although the Debo Band, through their Ethiopian-American band leader / saxophonist Danny Mekkonen, emphasizes that they do not want to slavishly imitate their great example. They don't. Influences from Klezmer, avant-garde jazz and rock give the Debo Band a rough and contemporary edge. A sound that fits perfectly with their hometown New York and with the 21st century. (PdK)more
