Short description

This is an artistic musical journey based around two world-famous musicians: desert blues man Alhousseini Anivolla from Niger and Girum Mezmer, ethiojazz guitarist from Addis Ababa.  After years of international touring these musicians have created this project together to show the potential of music in a changing world!   A musical journey following the pentatonic scale guided by Anivolla´s desert blues. This is a unique collaboration from two unlikely regions of Africa. Its
music based up on common musical elements produced in a way that it ensures all elements stay in their own respective characteristics, and yet open to a number of international styles such as blues and jazz,
It is an experimental project at the very essence which keeps on still evolving wherever it goes. It is not an end product. The audience also playing an important role in it.
This project can not be classified within one genre. It is combining multiple styles and  influences at a given time: Ehno, blues, jazz, folk and african - world music at its finest!

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Line ups:

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Afropentatonism offers different line ups:

The duo line up as invitation for a new chapter

The Ethiopian chapter with masinko, krar and mandoline

The Niger line up with traditional nigerien musiciens.

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Short bio

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Alhousseini Anivolla is representing since 2004 the rich cultural heritage of the nomadic tribes from Niger around the world. As a bandleader of the world-famous nomad blues band Etran Finatawa, he became a cultural ambassador of his country performing on all major world music stages around the globe. Girum Mezmur is a guitarist who has grown to become one of the leading musicians in the current Ethiopian music scene. Girum has also contributed significantly to the development of young African talents by conducting educational workshops in Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, and Ghana. As a guitarist, Girum has performed with the Who’s Who of Ethiopian music including Aster Awoke, Tewodros Tadesse, Ali Birra, Teddy Afro, and Mahmoud Ahmed.
Alhousseini and Girum first met at the Afrika Festival in Hertme/Holland in 2005 and stayed in touch since. In 2017 they met again in Addis Ababa and started developing this common venture. Together they kicked off the project during a first showcase concert in Addis Ababe in March 2018. Since ethen they meet regularily in Africa to develop this common musical challenge.
 

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