When Tesemma Gabriele Tesfa Guma arrived in Washington, D.C., some nine years ago, he came with a strong desire to live out his dream as an artist. His first challenge was mastering the English language and then establishing himself in the art community. Through great effort and pure talent, he has since earned the moniker "the greatest guitar player of all time" (the "G.O.A.T. Guma") from fellow musicians in Philadelphia. Tesemma also managed to earn a position as one of the principal modern ballet dancers for the highly acclaimed modern dance company, Philadanco, (which is favorably compared to the internationally known Alvin Ailey Dance Company), before recently leaving to teach at the Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet. He attributes his current success to his relentless hard work and the support he obtains from his siblings residing in Virginia.

Tesemma left Addis Ababa as an infant and lived in the tiny kingdom of Lesotho in Southern Africa for a brief period. At the age of four he and his mother moved to Senigallia in Italy. By the time Tesemma moved to the United States in his late teens, he was already an accomplished guitar player and was working on developing his talent for composing and arranging music. Despite having left his land of birth at such an early age, Tesemma always regarded his Ethiopian roots highly and made sure he learned about his homeland and culture. Whether performing at the Kennedy center with Philadanco, being interviewed for radio and television, or performing with his phenomenal rock-soul fusion band, Tangible Truth, Tesemma takes every opportunity to link his audience to his Ethiopian heritage.

Tesemma's early years were nurtured by his love for music and entertainment. Once, while the young Tesemma and his father were browsing through a toy store, a keyboard caught his interest. Thereafter his life would never be the same. From these humble beginnings, Tesemma went on to play the guitar and become a dancer. After overcoming his struggle with the notion that being a performing artist is not a widely accepted profession, he formed a rock band in Italy and managed to tour Europe. This experience alone was enough to assure him that pursuing his love for music was exactly what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. It was then that he committed himself to put all of his energy and efforts to succeed in the entertainment business.

As a modern dancer, Tesemma has been able to tour around the United States, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Far East. He hopes to do the same with his Philadelphia-based band, Tangible Truth, which is currently part of this nation's neo-soul music movement.

Tangible Truth has a sound like no other band currently on the market. It combines the intricate sounds of soul, jazz, rock, and hip-hop music. This avant-garde group is on the cutting edge of live band music, redefining the musical zeitgeist. Tangible Truth's musical style has been compared to that of Jill Scott, Jamiroquai, Erykah Badu, Lenny Kravitz, and Santana.

Tesemma produces, arranges, and co-authors the lyrics with his musical partner, Topaz Wise. His musical influences include Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, B.B. King, Jamiroquai, Santana, and Led Zeppelin. His interpretations of music are unique and play out like a production. When performing at large venues such as the Spectrum Stadium in Philadelphia, Tangible Truth boasts a nine-member band comprised of a horn section as well as modern ballet dancers. Tesemma's ultimate goal is to combine on stage his love for music and dance. He achieved this aspiration on Tangible Truth's first music video for their single, Saturday, featured on their debut album, One Nation. Saturday is currently on rotation on radio stations such as FM Station (Addis Ababa), Solar Radio (London), Power 99 (Philadelphia), Hot 97 (New York), WHAT 93.5 FM (Temple University Radio), and is soon to hit the airwaves in Italy and other local stations in Europe, Africa, and the United States. Ethiopians in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area can also catch reruns of Tangible Truth's live television performance on 8101 Show, MHz Networks.

Determined to stay true to his music, Tesemma has forged ahead teaming up with a family-operated company, EIDC Productions, in order to produce, promote, and distribute his music independently. "The whole idea of the kind of music I produce," says Tesemma, "is not only for the general public, but one that attempts to capture the souls and hearts of musicians as well. That is difficult to achieve once your music becomes commercialized to fit today's pop culture sound." Hence, with EIDC's backing, Tesemma has chosen to take the independent music route. He predicts that live band music is on the fast track back these days, giving artists like him a chance to produce and perform quality music.

Tangible Truth is currently negotiating non-exclusive deals with record labels and distributors. Of course, they are also willing to consider a deal with a major label, as long as Tesemma is allowed to retain significant creative control and direction of his music.

In the summer of 2003, Tangible Truth served as guest performers for the Ethiopian Music Association, along with other traditional musicians and dancers in Washington, D.C. In the future, Tangible Truth hopes to perform in front of a live audience of Ethiopians, preferably in Addis Ababa. Tesemma enjoys the presence of Ethiopians in the audience at the various venues in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and has developed quiet an Ethiopian fan base as a result. Tesemma is also always seeking to collaborate with other talented Ethiopian musicians. In the past, he has collaborated with the premiere Ethiopian producer and musician, Abegasu Shiota, on Hannah Shenkute's first album and Tangible Truth's current projects. He also strives to work with other well-known Ethiopian musicians for Tangible Truth's live performances and has collaborated with Ethiopian artists such as Thomas Gobena and Wayna of C-Side Entertainment. Tesemma is also passionate about encouraging other aspiring young Ethiopian artists. His advice: "It can be done if your heart is in it and you are willing to put forth the work!"

Tesemma believes that music transcends cultural differences and serves as a source of inspiration for his creative process. The logo for his band is a derivative of the Adinkra, a West African symbol that stands for unity, diversity, and democracy, or the oneness of the human family despite cultural differences and diversity. The audience and fan base appropriately reflect Tangible Truth's music: a heterogeneous group of people that represent all races, ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds.

Tangible Truth is back in the studio to complete its debut album, One Nation. The title track was created to commemorate the victims of 9/11 and provide healing through music for their surviving families.

Tesemma has always been able to recognize traces of Ethiopian music and dance in jazz, reggae, blues, hip-hop, and house music. Artists like Tesemma remind us that Ethiopians have always been part of the modern and traditional art worlds and will continue to be a force of influence for centuries to come. After all, the roots of the modern day guitar, some say, can be traced back to Ethiopia's traditional string instrument, the kirar.

For more info on T. G. T. Guma and his neo-soul band, go to: www.tangibletruth.com