Meklit Combines Ethiopian Rhythms and American Sounds at SFJazz

Michael Jackson, Mahmoud Ahmed, Prince, Mulatu Astatke, and John Coltrane — Ethiopian-American musician and composer Meklit wants to sing for them all. And she does, in songs incorporating the pentatonic Ethiopian scale, the rhythms of American soul, funk, and hip-hop, and even the sounds of orbiting stars. Meklit joins Forum to talk about combining the myriad sonic textures that surround us to create music greater than the sum of its parts.