'Bath Ketema': Fairfield House honours Haile Selassie with an Ethio-jazz project

On October 18, 2024, it was exactly 70 years since Haile Selassie was granted the Freedom of the City in Bath. This city in the southwest of England played a significant role in his life: during the 1930s, the emperor lived there in exile following the Italian invasion of Ethiopia. To mark this symbolic anniversary, Fairfield House initiated an ambitious Ethio-jazz project.

Under the direction of multi-instrumentalist and composer Ross Hughes, around ten musicians gathered at the Kelston Roundhill Barn near Bath. Among them are some notable names, including Adrian Utley of Portishead, trumpeter Laura Jurd, and saxophonist Will Gregory of Goldfrapp.

The result can now be heard on 'Bath Ketema' - with ketema meaning "city" in Amharic. The album primarily breathes new life into classics from the Ethio-jazz canon, featuring work by Mulatu Astatke and Girma Beyene, alongside three original compositions by Hughes himself.

The vinyl release is scheduled for May 5, not coincidentally Ethiopian Victory Day, commemorating Haile Selassie's return to Ethiopia in 1941 after the occupation, adding yet another layer of historical and symbolic weight to the project.

As Ras Benji of Fairfield House puts it: "Ethio-jazz is a language of ancestral unity… This project honours that legacy and dares to carry it forward!"

All proceeds from the album will go directly to Fairfield House, making this not only a musical endeavour, but also a cultural and heritage-driven initiative.