Ethiojazz

I’ve always been a fan of musical styles that are formed when people from different traditions interact. I’m sceptical that any musical tradition is ‘pure’ in that way, because people have alwayse met, listened to and been inspired by each others’ musical styles and traditions, so you can hear subtle or more overt influences in most styles of music. However, I think it’s really exciting when musical traditions that seem very disparate are merged. It seems as if it can’t possibly work, but what results is something unique and exciting. Ethiojazz (or Ethio-Jazz, or Ethio Jazz: I’ve seen it written in many different ways) is a great example of this.I first came across Ethiojazz through the work of the Ethiopian pianist Samuel Yirga. I have enjoyed listening to his albums for many years, but for some reason, I had never looked into the origins of Ethiojazz or sought out other artists playing it. I finally put that right a couple of months ago. Apparently, Ethiojazz originated in the 1950s…