This year the entertainment business returned to some form of normality after the hard slog of lockdowns and lack of customers. It was good to see music lovers back at festivals and clubs. And the best festive season present of all was the performance of Ethiopian legend Hailu Mergia and his trio at Studio Lam on Dec 21.
Mergia was the leader of one of Addis Ababa's top bands in the 1970s, the Walias Band, which masterfully blended Ethiopian folk music with US funk (especially influenced by King Curtis and Maceo Parker). The arrival of the Derg dictatorship meant that the band had to play and record instrumentals as lyrics critical of the government would lead to severe sanctions; the standout feature of the band's music was Mergia's sublime organ and accordion sound.
