The blog Addis Journal reported a few days ago that the musician and composer Lemma Demissew (ለማ ደምሰው) passed away on August 24 in Addis Ababa.
A pianist, composer, singer and arranger, Lemma was the leading musician of Armed Forces band, a band that has entertained the army and visiting heads of states for decades. Among his appreciative audiences were Fidel Castro of Cuba, Libya’s Muammar al-Qaddafi and the Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak.
His songs such as “Astawesalehu” “Adrashas Tefabegn” and “Des Balagnalech” are still popular hits.
Read the whole article at Addis Journal.
Listen to his most famous song Astawsallehu (አስታወሳለሁ) – ‘I remember’
Astawsallehu
(This is the first minute of the song as published on éthiopiques 8 – Swinging Addis .)