Wazama - Mesfin Adhenen, Shiferaw Azenaw, Nadav Haber (Lili Barchilon)

Blues & Ethiopian Music

Blues for Peace held a “Blues & Ethiopian Music” evening at the Jerusalem Cultural Center on May 20, 2002. The program presented a variety of styles - Chicago blues, jazz and Ethiopian music composed of pentatonic (5 note) scales - like blues music. The participants included:

"Wazema" - an Ethiopian band that plays "the taste of music" in Amharic. The music is traditional Ethiopian Amharic, with some adaptations to modern instruments and style. The members of the group are:

• Mesfin Adhenen - lead vocal and kebero (traditional drum)
• Shiferaw Azenaw - keyboard and second vocal
• Nadav Haber - Saxophone and Kirar (Ethiopian Lyre)

Yitzhak Yedid – leading Israeli jazz musician, composer, and pianist founded the Swedish Chef” that holds weekly concerts of “Third Stream” jazz in Jerusalem's Gerard Behar theater. Yitzhak performed pieces from his "Full Moon Fantasy" album on the Musa label and will peform a concert of his works in Germany. He studied at the Boston School of Music and has recorded and performed with Paul Bley.                                                                                                                                          

Eran Ashkenazi – Israeli soldier and blues musician wounded in Wadi Ara bus attack. He played his song “Blues 823” about the attack on Egged bus 823 that he survived. Eran has appeared recently on Gabi Gazit television program and Galei Tzahal.

Johnny Mayer – veteran blues and jazz musician, accompanist (Shlomo Artzi), jam session player (Charlie Mingus) and teacher. Johnny founded Blues for Peace in Israel to honor the roots of blues music, promote peace and the understanding that ALL peoples have had their share of the blues.

The performance drew inspiration from the John Lennon song "Give Peace a Chance". It appeared in several newspapers - Jerusalem Post, Kol Hair and Itone Yerushalaim. If you would like to help sponsor a program, contact us.