Capping several successful years traveling the world performing to
audiences big and small, Hailu Mergia's Lala Belu has been a long time
coming. It builds on Mergia's remarkable career resurgence over the past
few years. Beginning in 2013 with the reissue of his dreamy Hailu Mergia
and His Classical Instrument followed by the enormous success of his
seminal Ethio-jazz masterpiece Tche Belew and continuing with last year's
widely acclaimed Wede Harer Guzo, Mergia has received considerable
accolades from listeners and press globally, including The New York Times,
Pitchfork and The Wire. His old recordings are cherished revelations for
Ethiopian music fans; however, Mergia's return to the stage has been just
as inspiring and electrifying.
Mergia's vintage recordings are known for an inherently mysterious and
worn-in quality, while his new recordings echo his band's 21st century live
show with modern instrumental interpretations of crucial Ethiopian
standards and Mergia's own original compositions. Tony Buck (drums) and
Mike Majkowski (bass), who have backed Mergia on tour throughout
Europe and Australia, form the bass-drums trio on the recording. Having
played venues from Radio City Music Hall and the Kennedy Center to jazz
festivals, rock clubs and DIY spaces all over North America, Europe and
Australia, Mergia and Awesome Tapes From Africa want to document this
moment in his landmark career with a snapshot of Mergia's current sound.
Since he emigrated from Ethiopia and built a life in Washington, D.C.
around 1981-where he remains working as an airport taxi driver when he
is not on tour-Mergia's career has followed a humble trajectory. He made
a few recordings in America but they didn't easily reach fans back home.
He kept making music on his own and with friends but after the early 80's
his gigs in the U.S. mostly dried up. It wasn't until he began working with
Awesome Tapes From Africa and putting together bands with the help of
booking agents and musicians in Europe and the U.S., that he was able to
chart a new path. With a broad audience of young listeners in diverse
venues and distant locales, at age 71, Mergia is enjoying his comeback
and is not slowing down
