Checheho
ጨጨሆ

The statuesque Aster Aweke really shines on her 23rd album, Checheho, the title of which represents a small town in Gonder, Ethiopia.

While the rhythms range from complex Ethiopian styles to smooth jazz-funk, Aster's voice displays a remarkable variety of modalities, from yearning to rapturous and from coaxing to celebratory. The songs - a mix of traditional Amharic tunes and Aweke's own compositions - are highly distinctive.

Aweke was born