Gigi - Biography
By Nick Castro
Gigi is one of the first female Ethiopian singers to emerge out of her native land, and into worldwide mainstream success. Gigi is know, not only as the wife of producer and bassist Bill Laswell, but as the conduit of an angelic voice and cross cultural musical style, which incorporates aspects of traditional Ethiopian church music with funk and soul rhythms from abroad. She has released a slew of successful records, which have brought her into the limelight of the world music scene.
Gigi, originally known as Ejigayehu Shibabaw, is from a rural town in Ethiopia, called Chagni. She grew up singing in churches before moving to the Addis Ababa when she was older. it was in the city that Gigi was first exposed to the sounds outside of her church, including the pop music that would blare from loudspeakers on the streets of the city. She soon embarked on a journey through Kenya, which also broadened her scope of the world, and the different types of music she had to offer. Gigi had made up her mind that singing was something she wanted to pursue professionally, even though this meant definite criticism from the conservative power structure that ran her male dominated country. Her obvious talent, and unique voice, quickly secured her a position with the National Theatre, and it was here that she gained her first professional experience outside of the church. It also helped to expose her to many of the musical connections that would help her land her first recording deal. She began to tour Europe, especially France, and recorded some live CDs that were intended for distribution among the Ethiopian communities that were living abroad. It was until her first international release though that she would catapult into worldwide attention.
Gigi released her first album, One Ethiopia (1998 - Barkhanns), to international audiences, and quickly her name began to spread amongst enthusiasts of world pop music. From the opening groove of the up tempo opener, "Ande Ethiopia", one is quickly hypnotized by the smooth and funky rhythms that dominate much of Gigi's music. At times, on songs like, "Gera Geru", Gigi incorporates obvious influences of reggae music. Gigi, who composed most of the music on the album herself, is in an energetic mood on this album, which does not contain one slow song on it. Some listeners have been turned off by the heavy use of synthetic sounds on the album, but behind the sometimes ostentatious production, lies some beautiful songs and great musicianship. Around the time of this release, Gigi relocated herself to San Francisco, where she soon fell in with people like Bill Laswell, to whom she would later marry.
In 2001, Gigi released the album Gigi (2001 - Palm Pictures) with husband Bill Laswell at the helm of production. This record is often considered her first album, because it is the first to be released to US audiences. On this outing, Gigi shows her appreciation for a new love hers, jazz music. On the record, she is graced by the presences of notable jazz players like Wayne Shorter and Pharoah Sanders. She is also joined by world fusion percussionist, Karsh Kale, who has recently made a name for himself, often joining Bill Laswell on projects. Although all of the elements have come together to create a fine piece of work, it is Gigi's compositions and the strength of her voice that keep this album afloat. In contrast to her One Ethiopia release, Gigi finally takes it easy on songs like "Mengedegna", which feature some fine playing by Sanders.
Gigi continued on to release the album, Illuminated Audio (2003 - Palm Pictures), Gigi's husband, Laswell, once again handles the production, and heavy handedly so. He once again enlists the talents of some of jazz's lumiary players, such as Herbie Hancik and Wayne Shorter. Laswell also began to take liberties with remixing some of Gigi's material, once again all composed by her. Many people have criticized Laswell for putting too much of his own touch on the album, thereby hijacking what is otherwise a lovely collection of songs by a talented young composer and singer.
Gigi made her latest album, Gold and Wax (2006 - Palm Pictures), once again with Laswell on production, but this time, her music has once again taken a front seat to the production. Laswell still manages to sneak many players he admires, including esoteric prog guitarist, Buckethead, as well as keyboardist Bernie Worrell on Parliament Funkedelic. Gigi is in top form on the song, "Jerusalem", which finds her in a rare solemn mood, almost psalm like at the beginning of the song, until the subtle rhythms come in.
Gigi is still young and sure to continue to release a series of finely produced albums. Unlike many artist in the world music genre, Gigi is open to development and incorporating, otherwise disparate, elements into her music. Now that she has teamed up with Laswell, and his endless list of connections to a-list player, she is sure to have many opportunities to grow.
