Tonight, Meklit presents a medley of three songs: Ethio Blue, My Gold, and Stars in Wide Field 

Ethio Blue is a melody for the ancestors, for the ones who birthed the music in the first place. It honors the songs that came from calloused hands, and the sacredness of those circles of folks. Ethio Blue is written in a haunting and piercing pentatonic scale from the Ethiopian highlands called Tizita Minor. 

My Gold is a song Meklit wrote for her son. It is sonic love, a poem as protective force, full of the promises that parents make when holding their children tight. 

Stars in a Wide Field is based on the traditional riddles from Meklit's father's tribe, Kembata. When she first saw translations of these riddles, time stopped, and a way of seeing and feeling the world was revealed. 

Riddle: What is the water that you don't drink? 

Answer: Tears. 

Riddle: What is the journey that never ends? 

Answer: Thought. 

Riddle: What are the roasted grains, strewn in a wide field?

Answer: The stars

She created this song from English translations of these riddles to honor the world building inside of them, and the genius hearts that have repeated these words over time. 

~ Notes by Meklit copyright 2024