Off the 405: Hailu Mergia

Hailu Mergia is an Ethiopian musician and composer, best known for his work as a keyboardist and accordion player, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. Mergia gained prominence as a member of the Walias Band, a prominent Ethiopian jazz and funk group that blended traditional Ethiopian music with Western jazz and funk influences. In recent years, Mergia has experienced a resurgence in popularity, with renewed interest in his music both from Ethiopia and internationally. Following the first in a series of his classic recordings reissued in collaboration with Awesome Tapes From Africa, Mergia assembled a band and began performing live again after many years driving a cab in Washington, DC. Mergia and his veteran band energetically and playfully unpeel layer after layer of harmonic and rhythmic interest from a spectrum of Ethiopian sounds. Moving from keyboard to organ to accordion to melodica, he deftly switches instruments—often during the same song. At 77 years old, Mergia is a powerhouse, balancing his legendary Ethiopian recordings with good old-fashioned, sweat-soaked live concert triumphs.

DJ set by Mark Maxwel