During the last four days, some of the Ethiopia’s finest and most talented jazz musicians and selected bands from abroad have been playing in the “Acacia Jazz Festival & World Music”. It is one of the first "Outdoor Jazz" festivals to be held in Addis Ababa and it is designed to entertain not only jazz lovers but also their families.

by Borja Santos Porras

"The music of Ethiopia is diverse, with very different ethnic sounds. Ethiojazz is one of the most famous music styles, born from the mix between jazz and traditional Amharic rhythms (five-notes scale involving complex circular rhythm patterns)."

Gyrum Mezmur  is a musician and one of the organizers of the festival. He explains: “This is the third edition of the Festival. You can listen to various styles of global music, where Ethiopian and international musicians exchange experiences”.

Among the bands present:
Addis Acoustic Project, Ethiopian band which unfolds Ethiopian music from the past in a contemporary way with influences of traditional East-African, jazz and latin.

Munit&Jorg  blends Ethiopian Acoustic Soul Music with voice and guitar.

Ethiocolor is an Ethiopian cultural group with interactive dance & vocals. The leader, Melaku, is the most famous dancer of Eskesta, an impressive traditional shoulder dance from Ethiopia.