On the 2nd of March 2011, while Ethiopians were commemorating the Victory of Adwa, the Japanese Kei Akagi Jazz Trio was conquering the hearts and minds of jazz fans in Addis Ababa with its exciting Jazz performance. A remarkable gathering of Ambassadors, renowned artists, composers, vocalists, students and teachers of music assembled at the Addis Ababa University, Yared Music School for this unique opportunity.   

The group was named after Professor Kei Akagi, a renowned Japanese pianist in the Jazz world. What added to the thrill for the audience was the fact that Mr. Kei Akagi played with the late trumpeter Miles Davies around the end of the 1980s. The other Trio members are, Mr. Tomokazu Sugimoto playing upright bass and Mr. Tamaya Honda playing drums. Currently, Mr. Kei Akagi is a professor of Jazz at the University of California.       

The program was sponsored by the Japan Foundation and organized by the Press and Cultural Section of the Embassy of Japan in Ethiopia.  

In his welcoming speech, Ambassador of Japan to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative of Japan to the African Union, H.E. Mr. Hiroyuki Kishino underlined the musical similarities of Japan and Ethiopia, calling upon the audiences to enjoy both the Tokyo jazz and Ethio-jazz.
Upon the recommendation of the father of Ethio-Jazz, Ato Mulatu Astatke, the Meleket band played three pieces of Ethio-Jazz to start the program and warm up the audience. They first played Arbaminch, a jazz arrangement in the Southern Ethiopian style. The second piece was an Oleo rearranged with an Oromifa rhythm and the third was Mulatu’s composition, yekermosew. All of the music was highly sophisticated, embedding the major cultural emblems and song styles that flavor the typical Ethiopian style, Ethio-Jazz. Girum Gizaw, the lead guitar player was amazed and delighted by the cheers of the audience. “For me, it is really fantastic experience to play with Kei Akagi”, Girum said.     

Around 7 p.m., the Kei Akagi Trio came on stage and their amazing talent and precision was immediately felt. They played seven different compositions, captivating the audience. Professor Kei Akagi performed at an amazing speed, often jumping to his feet while playing. The speed of his performance was so fast that the audience applauded him several times in appreciation of his feat. On top of that, his ability to read and understand the other members of the Trio was amazing. Mr. Tamaya Honda, the drum player also delighted the audience. It seemed like he was swimming in the Jazz when he played closing his eyes and gradually controlled the rise and fall of his beat. Meanwhile, Mr. Tomokazu Sugimoto who played upright bass seemed to balance the drums and the piano with his skilled performance.

As an encore, Mr. Kei Akagi spontaneously invited Girum (guitarist) and Yared (saxophonist) from the Meleket band back onto the stage to play Billesbounce, a Charlie Parker composition. As the saying goes, music is indeed an international language and Jazz is all about improvisation, which all the musicians then brilliantly demonstrated without even a prior rehearsal. The mix of the Kei Akagi Trio and the Meleket Band signified the apex of cultural ties between Japan and Ethiopia and between Tokyo Jazz and Ethio-Jazz, as H.E. Ambassador Kishino put it in his opening remarks. 

Abreham Tesfaye is a teacher of Jazz at Addis Ababa University, Africa Jazz School and Mekaneyesus Music School. Asked about what he felt after the show, he said that he has never seen such a concert in his life. He thanked the organizers and the Embassy of Japan for bringing the Trio to Addis. “It was a joyous occasion. The musicians are really great and they have demonstrated their skill”, Abreham added.

“I have attended almost all of the concerts organized here at the Yared Music School by other local and international cultural organizations but none of them equates to this Trio”, one of the Yared Music School students said, adding, “it is a trio, but I felt like I came out from an orchestral concert”.

For those unable to attend the concert, a live transmission was arranged with F.M. Zami, which also delighted the radio’s listeners.

At the workshop organized on the 3rd of March, Professor Kei Akagi shared his experience with the music students from Yared Music School, Africa Jazz School and Mekaneyesus Music School. He invited students to demonstrate their skills with him and with the Trio so that they could acquire in-depth knowledge of global Jazz music.

According to their schedule, the Trio left for Paris to play at the Jazz in Japan 2011 Festival.