{"id":7837,"date":"2026-04-10T18:27:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/?p=7837"},"modified":"2026-04-10T18:34:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T18:34:45","slug":"legendary-ethio-jazz-saxophonist-girma-woldemichael-album-release-concert-may-9-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/eventscat\/concerts\/legendary-ethio-jazz-saxophonist-girma-woldemichael-album-release-concert-may-9-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Legendary Ethio-Jazz Saxophonist Girma Woldemichael Album Release Concert: May 9, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Legendary Ethio-Jazz pioneer\u00a0Girma Woldemichael\u00a0will take the stage at the Redwood Theatre in Toronto for a special live concert celebrating the release of his new album,\u00a0NAFQOT\u00c9. This highly anticipated performance brings together generations of musical influence, blending the rich traditions of Ethiopian music with contemporary global sounds.<\/p>

A central figure from the golden age of Ethio-Jazz, Woldemichael\u2019s journey is one of extraordinary resilience and artistic triumph. Born in Ethiopia under conditions of extreme poverty, he was raised in an orphanage in Addis Ababa. It was there that at age 13 he was given his first pair of shoes, and shortly thereafter handed his first musical instrument, a clarinet, told to learn it, and aim to make a living by playing music.<\/p>

A few years later, now also playing the saxophone, he found work playing in the clubs in the city that were then filled with lovers of the new genre of Ethio-Jazz \u2013 a genre that fuses Ethiopia\u2019s distinctive pentatonic scales with jazz, funk, soul, and Latin rhythms\u2014popularized in the west by Mulatu Atsatke, who, alongside Woldemichael, was one of the original members of the Ethio Stars Band. From that point on, Woldemichael was the choice saxophone player called on to perform alongside some of Ethiopia\u2019s most iconic artists, including\u00a0such stars as Aster Aweke,\u00a0Mahmoud Ahmed,\u00a0Alemayehu Eshete, Tilahun Gessesse and so on.<\/p>

Following the political upheaval of 1974, when Ethiopia\u2019s Derg regime suppressed much of the country\u2019s artistic expression, Woldemichael fled to Canada as a refugee. Settling in Toronto, he balanced the challenges of immigrant life\u2014supporting his family while working as a taxi driver\u2014with an unwavering dedication to music. Over the years, he continued to perform across Canada, the United States, and internationally, collaborating with leading Ethiopian artists and keeping the spirit of Ethio-Jazz alive.<\/p>

Now, with his family grown, Woldemichael has returned to music full-time, leading his own band. His new album,\u00a0NAFQOT\u00c9, marks an exciting new chapter, featuring a collaboration with acclaimed hip-hop producer\u00a0Arthur McArthur\u2014a Juno Award winner and Grammy nominee known for his work with major international artists including\u00a0Drake,\u00a0Wiz Khalifa, and\u00a0Logic.<\/p>

Together, they create a vibrant musical dialogue that bridges cultures, generations, and genres.<\/p>

This special evening promises an unforgettable celebration of Ethio-Jazz\u2014honouring its roots while pushing its boundaries into bold new territory also featuring guest vocals by Melat Mengesha.<\/p>

EVENT<\/strong>:\u00a0NAFQOT\u00c9\u00a0Album Release Concert
DATE<\/strong>:\u00a0Saturday, May 9, 2026\u00a0
TIME<\/strong>: Doors 7:00 pm, Show: 8:00 pm
VENUE<\/strong>:\u00a0Redwood Theatre, 1300 Gerrard St. East, Toronto
TIX<\/strong>: Advance: $20 including fees at EventBrite<\/a>, Door: $25
INFO<\/strong>: GirmaWoldemichael.com<\/a><\/p>

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"batuki\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Legendary Ethio-Jazz pioneer\u00a0Girma Woldemichael\u00a0will take the stage at the Redwood Theatre in Toronto for a special live concert celebrating the release of his new album,\u00a0NAFQOT\u00c9. This highly anticipated performance brings together generations of musical influence, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7838,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[458,1,40],"tags":[222,221,324,352,30,225,479,254,354,477,277,223,48,353,366,478,224],"class_list":["post-7837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-458","category-concerts","category-eventscat","tag-africa","tag-african","tag-african-music","tag-album-release","tag-batuki-music","tag-canada","tag-ethiojazz","tag-ethiopia","tag-ethiopian","tag-girma-woldemichael","tag-live-concert","tag-music","tag-nadine-mcnulty","tag-new-album","tag-redwood-theatre","tag-saxophone","tag-toronto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7837"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7845,"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7837\/revisions\/7845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/batukimusic.com\/site2\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}