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Debo Band is an ensemble led by Ethiopian-American saxophonist Danny Mekonnen and fronted by charismatic vocalist Bruck Tesfaye. Since their inception in 2006, they have toured Africa twice, having appeared at both the Ethiopian Music Festival in Addis Ababa and Sauti za Busara in Zanzibar, the largest music festival in East Africa. In North America, they have shared stages with Gogol Bordello, Arcade Fire, Fishbone, The Family Stone, Tilahun Gessesse (one of the great voices of 1970s Ethiopian pop), and The Ex with Ethiopian sax legend Getatchew Mekuria. They have also performed at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, The Kennedy Center, Montreal Jazz Fest, globalFEST 2012, Bonnaroo, and SXSW. Named one of NPR's top 50 albums of 2012, their debut was released to critical acclaim by Sub Pop/Next Ambiance.
"Albums like this, which dice up and recombine musical traditions, so often run the risk of being more interesting than good — fascinating to study, but not much fun to listen to. Everything here, though, feels strangely organic and effortlessly joyful. Some will surely hear it and go scrambling back to research the original Ethiopian music at its foundation. But more will simply let it wash over them and get swept up in the party." - SPIN
"Guitar solos, massed vocals, violin, and brass rush in like a Red Bulled marching band. Dance at your own risk." - Rolling Stone
“A different archival impulse paid off for Debo Band, a Boston group devoted to the Ethiopian funk of the late 1960s and ’70s: fierce, jagged, complex and galvanizing music. With a beefy horn section, biting violins and a lead singer with a convincing Ethiopian quaver, the group brought back a live version of a style that was never recorded as vividly.” – The New York Times
"Debo Band is charged up on a beguiling mix of riotous energy and sinuous swing" - NPR First Listen
"It's not an easy feat to pay tribute and transcend that same tribute simultaneously, but over the course of their debut, this band manages the trick." - Pitchfork
Additional Content:
Link to listen to Debo records
Link to watch Debo live performances
Institution/Business Type:
Performing Group
Legal Status:
Commercial / For profit - Cooperative
Year Founded:
2006
Institution/Business Type:
Performing Group
Legal Status:
Commercial / For profit - Cooperative
Year Founded:
2006
Primary Discipline:
Music - Ethnic / WorldAdditional Disciplines:
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NEST Eligible Artist
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Fee Range:
$2,500 - $10,000State of Residence:
MassachusettsMinimum Number of Performers:
9Maximum Number of Performers:
12