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On a neon-lit stage in the country's capital,
artists played various Ethiopian jazz music pieces as hundreds
of revellers danced, mimed and quaffed beer to celebrate the
second edition of the so-called Addis Jazz Festival (AJF).
AJF debuted in 2019 and was conceived as a platform to promote
Ethiopian jazz as well as to bring international jazz to
Ethiopia. The event is the brainchild of Muzikawi, an Ethiopian
music and events production company.
"The current generation is interested in Ethio Jazz...every time
we play (a) concert, the young people really give us
encouragement and they encourage us to keep doing what we do.
It's really wonderful," said Jorga Mesfin, a well-known
Ethiopian saxophonist and jazz artist who performed at the
concert.
The performance boasted various instruments, including
saxophone, guitar, trombone, percussion and drums.
"Our country has a major unutilised asset of art, which is Ethio
Jazz," said Teshome Wendimu, founder and manager of Muzikawi.
While Ethiopia had plentiful jazz talent, he said, the country
had yet to exploit it.
"We have that guilt. We could have produced a lot of artists
that had the potential to make the country popular with jazz."
Artists at the concert included some of Ethiopia's well- known
talents, like the Young Addis jazz group, who performed some of
their best hits, like "Adwa."
The two-day event was set to end on Sunday night, with a
performance by Sweden's Club Killers group.
(Writing by Elias Biryabarema; reporting by Kumerra Gemechu;
Editing by Bernadette Baum)
(Photo: Revellers attend the Jazz show during the Ethio-Jazz
Festival in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia April 29, 2023. REUTERS/Tiksa
Negeri)
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