Master accordionist and veteran bandleader, arranger and keyboardist, Hailu Mergia is originally from Ethiopia.
He fled his native country with his group, the Walias Band, in 1981 and now drives a cab in Washington DC, in which he also composes.
Lala Belu is his first album in two decades which Pitchfork (8.0) said: “contains echoes of the old, full of peculiar details that contrast the sparkly veneer of the jazz trio he’s now fronting.”
Monday November 19, €17.50