Ethiocolor
Zanzi
19 Grand Ave., Oakland
Sept. 19, 2023
The ensemble Ethiocolor brought an exuberant range of Ethiopian music and dance traditions from Addis Abba to Oakland’s Zanzi — and blew people’s mind for two straight hours.
This was my first time seeing Ethiocolor. While I tried to take mental and physical notes for this very review, the enchanting howl of Habtamu Yeshambel’s masterfully played Masenko, the rhythmic pulse of Meselu Abebaye’s kebero drumming, and the mesmerizing connection the entire group had with the audience forced me to stay unshakably present.
Through charismatic expressions and an inherent playfulness, Bandleader Melaku Belay brought joy and positivity to each selection with the assistance of seven other musicians and a dancer. Ethiocolor’s repertoire draws from their nation’s Azmari tradition, music originally played on stringed instruments by minstrels in Ethiopia’s highlands. Belay has become recognized as an international ambassador for the music and Ethiopia’s eskista, described as “a rhythmic, shoulder-shimmying dance.” The identifiable pentatonic scales and polyrhythms provided the foundation for soaring tones and swirling melodies. For a new listener, like myself, it was enthralling to hear how at times the music would move into an aching, searching place, while the drone of a single chord could melt you with its warmth. The inclusion of cross-cultural traditions that Ethiocolor is known for embracing was also evident.
Ethiopian music has steadily gained popularity in the U.S. over the last number of decades due, in part, to immigrants from Ethiopia who now perform it here on a more regular basis. A popular record series entitled Ethiopiques that came out in 1997 has also contributed to its growing notoriety in the States. Ethiocolor started their U.S. tour on Sept. 6 in Washington D.C. and will end it in Los Angeles on Sept. 29. Getting to see them at a venue like Zanzi was a special treat. The club hosts a wide range of musical acts and touts a spacious dance floor, as well as innovative cocktails. It was an ideal size for seeing Ethiocolor; intimate enough to feel like you were a part of it all, but large enough that you had room to really move. Not to mention, the staff is friendly, attentive, and matched the already wonderful vibes frolicking around the venue.
This was not a show you witnessed with a casual head bob. Each person in the venue became a part of night’s vital tapestry. At one point, a circle was made, and concert goers took turns displaying their dancing prowess one by one or two by two in the center. Strangers smiled at strangers, as if to say, “Yes, I am having this peak experience with you.” Arms reached overhead to invite others to the center of the floor, and boisterous shouts of approval punctuated each piece. The interplay between audience and the group was constant.
For over two hours, Ethiocolor put on a virtuosic evening of music and dance, but they also gave us a dose of much-needed “medicine,” a word Melaku Belay used recently on a Facebook post to describe their art. I can’t think of a better one. In the face of the painful and harrowing experience of being human, they gave us all a lesson in the transformational and radical nature of joy.
