- Video #1
Kutu was born in Addis Ababa in 2019, where the prodigiously versatile French violinist Théo Ceccaldi met the symbiotic voices of two Ethiopian singers, Hewan Gebrewold and Haleluya Tekletsadik, known in the city's vibrant underground music scene as part of the 10-piece rock band Jano. Together they embarked on a project to create a new improvisational concept that fuses Azmari and Ethiopian jazz roots with the poetry and grooves of international urban culture. After a tour of East Africa and France and the release of their first album, the trio expanded to include luminary jazz cellist Valentin Ceccaldi on bass, indefatigably eclectic drummer Cyril Atef directing the grooves, and Japanese-Belgian keyboardist Akemi Fujimori enhancing the electronics, all consolidating a harmoniously heterogeneous, trance-inducing foundation for Gebrewold's commanding voice and Ceccaldi's inspired improvisations.