Day Five: June 11, 2021
Kibrom Birhane shares with us two tracks, Tizizta & Zelesegna.
Tizita is a traditional folk song and means Nostalgia. In Tizizta, Kirbom plays a krar, which is a traditional instrument from Ethiopia. “Tizizta” is also a scale, like blues, where musicians just jam on instruments with other people, vocals, or just a solo like this video.
In the second track, Kibrom plays and sings an original arrangement inspired by an Ethiopian Orthodox Church chant called Zelesegna.
Reflection Questions
Kibrom shared with us, “As an individual who came from the only African country which was never colonized, I know what freedom means.” What does freedom feel like in your body, mind, and spirit? What people, places, activities, and sensations that to come to find when you remember and/or envisions embodied freedom?
Artist Q&A
What artists, flavors, color, and textures from Ethiopia do you weave into your current creative practice?
My current creative practice weaves into mostly Ethiopian folk music that I used to listen to when I grew up. The songs of my childhood, soundtracks from the radio, artists like Kassa Tessema, Mulatu Astatke, Girma Beyene, and Emahoy Tsegue to name a few.
What are three records you go to for inspiration?
Emahoy Tsegue - Maryam Guebrou “Ethiopiques Vol.21”, Kassa Tessema “Fano”, and Mulatu Astatke “New York - Addis - London”
What are some messages you hope your music will spread?
I want my music to encourage, spread Love, unity and living in harmony.
How do you and your community honor and uplift the legacy of Juneteenth?
As an individual who came from the only African country which was never colonized, I know what freedom means. Our nation knows what freedom is so when we come to the US and see all the racial inequality, we cannot stand to it. For that reason, me and my Ethiopian community highly support and celebrate the legacy of Juneteenth and the freedom of African American people in America.
Artist
Kibrom Birhane
Pianist and Composer
As an Ethiopian-born multi-instrumentalist and keyboardist extraordinaire, Kibrom Birhane is a leader among jazz artists — mixing spiritual and Ethiopian jazz motifs to create a uniquely deep sound that resonates across cultures and musical concepts. Kibrom with him an ancient tradition, a spirit of dedication to roots and ever-expanding innovation. Kibrom’s deep understanding of Ethiopian tradition and sublime ability to fuse those sounds with funk, gospel, pop, and folk earned him an All African Music Award nomination for best male artist.