In the 70s, Hailu Mergia was on the organ in the Walias Band, playing his part in the golden age of Ethiopian music. In the 80s he quit the band to stay in the U.S. and escape the Derg dictatorship. In the 90s he released a final album, opened a restaurant, and became a cab driver.
A decade ago, Hailu Mergia was seventy years old, and had been a cabbie for twenty years. He played his keyboard between cab fares at Washington’s Dulles airport, but not in clubs. Awesome Tapes From Africa found his album and they re-released it. It was a hit, so then they re-released his other albums. Hailu Mergia was back on the Ethio-jazz scene, and he released another two albums to prove it. Last night, Hailu Mergia played a sold-out show at Perth Town Hall, to cheers, dance, and applause.
I didn’t know any of Mergia’s globetrotting story when I climbed my way into a seat at the crowded Perth Festival venue. I knew he was a cabbie (I pictured a yellow cab in NYC, not a silver one in D.C.), and that he played funk (“Wede Harer Guzo” was stuck in my head from the day before). I didn’t even know what he looked like. “Which one is he?”, I asked my tablemate, as the band shuffled onto stage. If it wasn’t for the magenta spotlight over the keyboard, I would have guessed him for the bassist with the sly smile and the cool bounce.
Mergia blends into the band, watching the keys with the air of a diligent science teacher. He’s alchemical with it, casting that spell that had the gig sell out in a single night. I closed my eyes, and heard the hustle and bustle of 80s New York– people bumping into each other with each crash cymbal, the high hats playing the pitter patter of footfalls, and Hailu’s synths bringing a nostalgia to the whole scene from on high. It’s music that strokes the brain while it sparks it.
Controlled chaos, maybe even rebellion music. Does that go back to Mergia’s roots in Ethiopia, where their music was run through Derg censors under threat of random imprisonment? It’s hard not to fall into reverie when listening to Tezeta– literally “nostalgia”– it’s transportative, voyaging. “Wede Harer Guzo” means “Journey to Harer”, Africa’s holiest city. It was a journey that Mergia took us on near the end of the night, a reverent moment where the crowd had left their chairs behind to crowd around the stage to chant and sing the refrain “la la la la la laa”.
It was the final destination of the night, but there were more stops along the way. Being a magic man of many talents, he brought his classical instrument– the accordion– and his melodica too. The accordion turned the city streets to a Balkan fairytale. It was folkloric, Transylvanian, downright nosferatu-funk– “Shemonmuanaye” means “the devil”, which is very dracula.
After a jaunt among the blue flames, the melodica was a step in a lighter direction, maybe to the windy peaks of the Carpathian mountains. “Anchihoye Lene“ (or “I miss her”) is another Ethiopian musical scale, like “Tizita/Tezeta“, so you can imagine the longing and memory infused into these songs for Mergia. Aside from some bright smiles at the end of his set, Mergia remained stoically focused while his drummer and bassist grinned and played with excitement and flair. “Lala Belu“ was another highlight for the night, with the crowd singing along– “Hey!”.
It was a uniquely moving experience seeing Mergia and Co play, one that ended with great excitement– and a standing ovation that made the modest Mergia a little embarrassed– and an event that championed Perth Festival as the year’s cultural event. Along with The Embassy’s foggy night atmosphere and lightning bug-style lighting, it was a surprisingly magical experience that I hope we’ll see again.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The reviewer attended the sold out show on 23rd February 2025.
Hailu Mergia appeared as part of the Perth Festival – which runs from 7th February to 2nd March 2025. For more information and tickets to other events head to the official website
