International Roots: The Call

Photo Courtesy of Bossanostra.

Gogol Bordello's Tommy T arrives with this Ethiopian inspired journey. The mixture of dub, reggae, funk, and jazz makes this an excellent record.

Album Notes

"The legend of Prester John captivated European imagination during the Middle Ages. The search for his realm aided in the exploration of lands and cultures beyond, what was then, the known world. Prester John was reputed to be a wise and generous king with enormous wealth. Countless explorations had the goal of finding his kingdom and rescuing it from surrounding infidels. It certainly didn’t hurt the Europeans' motivation that it was rumored to have the Fountain of Youth and rivers filled with gold. Early theories put the location in Asia. By the 1300s, it was commonly believed that this was incorrect. Ethiopia was considered one of the “Three Indias,” and since legend claimed Prester John was ruler of these, the search then focused on Ethiopia. The kingdom was never officially found. Similarly, Ethiopian music has remained a mystery to the West, much like Prester John and his realm. The spirit of this mysterious king lends this record its name, as this album provides a musical road map through the many treasures of Ethiopia. Echoing the tales of Prester John, who was a Christian king in non-Western lands, Tommy T adds elements of dub, funk, jazz and other Western musical approaches to a musical foundation built firmly upon Ethiopian soil."

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