Ethiopian folk and jazz brought to the 21st century by phenomenal singer-songwriter Meklit.

Born in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, but raised in the US where she arrived as a 2-year-old refugee, Meklit Hadero remains dedicated to her African roots.

“I grew up listening to old tapes of Ethiopian music that were like our touchstone to home, at the same time as listening to American radio and then later falling in love with jazz music and singer-songwriter music,” she recently said in an interview with NPR.

On her magnificent new album “A Piece of Infinity”, certainly one of her best yet, she further explores the legacy of traditional Ethiopian music or rather multiple distinct legacies. Even the fact that she sings in several local languages – Kambaata, Amharic, Oromo (and English) – speaks for itself.

While Meklit clearly has a tremendous respect for her heritage, she has never wanted to be a mere musical museologist. Thus, you should consider “A Piece of Infinity” both a traditional and experimental album, one that evokes memories yet is strongly situated in the 21st century. As Meklit says, “culture is alive.”

Stream “A Piece of Infinity” LP on Bandcamp and Spotify.

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Meklit on Facebook, Instagram.

Photo credit: Nix Guirre