Jorga Mesfin, the legendary saxophonist and keyboardist, was a budding jazz musician in college in 1997, exploring the vast universe of music. While in the United States, his many endeavors included collaborations with compatriots and contemporaries such as Teferi Assefa, Fasil Wuhib, and others. Jorga left no stone unturned in his quest to learn from the masters. One of these pursuits led him to visit Abegaz Kibrework, the iconic music arranger synonymous with the groundbreaking new sound revolution that followed the Roha Band era.
Abegaz was responsible for the fresh musical arrangements behind artists such as Aster Aweke and Ephrem Tamiru—productions that exploded onto the scene with a sound distinct from the live-band tradition of Roha. When the young Jorga arrived at Abegaz’s New York apartment and rang the bell, the person who opened the door was not Abegaz. To his astonishment, it was none other than Muluken Melese.
It is difficult for Jorga to describe what he felt in that moment when the unimaginable became real. Standing before him was Muluken—the legend, the icon—inviting him inside. That simple gesture meant far more than the literal opening of Abegaz’s studio door, where composition and arrangement took place. It symbolized the ushering of the aspiring Jorga into a boundless universe of creativity, innovation, and excellence. Through mentors like Muluken and Abegaz, Jorga unlocked the floodgates of passion, love, and musical prowess that continue to overflow to this day.
An Enduring Spirit
When Jorga performed Muluken’s Yene Alem on the saxophone under the flickering stage lights of the African Jazz Club, his meditative state revealed a deep connection with both the song and the man behind it. The recurring bassline and flowing melody evoked Muluken’s lyrical world—one where a lover calls out to his beloved.
As in many of Muluken’s songs, the lyrics paint an evocative scene: a young woman with a Sadula hairstyle, bracelets jingling around her ankles, and a flowing cape, summoned to her lover across rolling hills and rural church courtyards. The verses lament the pain of separation, as the singer wonders whether his beloved is real or a figment of his imagination. When Jorga played the piece, it was evident that nostalgia and reverence for Muluken were at play, casting the audience into a near-hypnotic trance.
Muluken’s appreciation for nature, beauty, landscape, and rural life finds a mesmerizing resonance in both his lyrics and melodies. Much like Bob Dylan, whose folk roots carried universal truths through melodies, Muluken used Ethiopia’s folk traditions to express profound emotion and social reflection with timeless grace.
Another piece, Yegoferesh Dardaru, is a perfect example: Muluken joyfully captures the sounds of the forest, the green meadow, and the animals of the field—melding them with a tender admiration for his lover’s Afro hair (Gofere) and his yearning for her love.
The gentle bassline and enchanting melody evoke a rare sentimentality that only Muluken’s music seems capable of conjuring. He possessed a unique gift for transforming the mundane and ordinary into something meaningful and endearing—always believable, never exaggerated or overly romanticized.
His fascination with the Afro hairstyle continued in the ballad Kemekem, where it is celebrated through a warm tempo, simple yet beautiful melody, and, of course, his signature bass. The folk-inspired lyrics, infused with humor and love—and even the playful call of the domestic calf, “Bure”—paint a vivid rural tapestry woven into the fabric of modern Ethio-jazz.
“Kemekem,
the damsel of Ambassel with a tattooed crook,
the damsel of Yeju with a tattooed crook,
Her love made me miss my trail,
she sent me astray into the woods…
Come, Bure…”
Muluken in Atlanta
In 2002, Jorga had yet another privilege of meeting Muluken—this time in Atlanta, Georgia, where an evangelical church congregation had gathered for a spiritual service. Muluken had travelled there to minister to about a hundred worshippers. However, the turnout swelled to more than 400, as fans of his secular music—eager simply to see him and be in his presence—flooded the chapel beyond its capacity.
This came as no surprise. Muluken’s larger-than-life persona had left an indelible mark on the hearts of his fans and the nation as a whole. Even after four decades since he abandoned secular music—and even after his passing—his aura and influence never faded, nor will they ever.
A Second Pilgrimage
Jorga’s fascination with Muluken remained unquenched. He longed to spend more time with the legend and to receive his mentorship. His colleague, the renowned bassist Fasil, became aware of this yearning and gave him Muluken’s phone number.
Once again, Jorga was on the road—this time seeking Muluken not by accident, as before, but by design. His wish was granted when he met him in Washington, D.C., in 2006. Muluken was gracious enough to host him in his home for nearly a month. During this time, Jorga had the opportunity to observe, learn, and understand what fueled Muluken’s artistic and spiritual life. They shopped together, dined together, and even worshipped in the same chapel.
During these moments, Muluken imparted wisdom, musical insight, and a deep philosophy of life. One day, he asked Jorga a question that would shape his future:
“Would you rather be famous, or build a reputation by searching for what lies within your soul?”
Jorga chose the latter—an answer that delighted Muluken. To this day, Jorga continues to honor that creed, navigating a musical journey that carries both him and his audiences to places that speak to the innermost depths of the soul. He had found in Muluken not just a mentor, but a guru and a master. The result was inevitable—and the rest, as they say, is history.
Muluken: A Visionary and a Legend
Muluken was not only a gifted drummer but also a remarkable jazz composer and a master lyricist, as Jorga witnessed during their time together. Muluken saw in Jorga the future of Ethio-jazz and often lamented not having colleagues like him during his own musical career in Addis Ababa.
He was far ahead of his time in musical vision—a forward thinker who grew frustrated at not finding avant-garde musicians unafraid to experiment with modern and creative styles that blended jazz with authentic Ethiopian sounds. Muluken often confessed that his finest musical works were those created in collaboration with Mulatu Astatke, the father of Ethio-jazz.
Muluken often spoke candidly about the excesses of nightlife in the music industry—the endless parties, the intoxicating fame, and the complicated encounters with adoring fans and persistent admirers. These experiences, he admitted, took a heavy toll on his personal life. His conversion to evangelical Christianity, he said, brought balance to his world and saved him from spiraling into the abyss that many talented and successful artists have fallen into—and never escaped.
The entertainment world is littered with stories of brilliance undone by fame: Whitney Houston, Justin Bieber, Kurt Cobain, Marilyn Monroe, Amy Winehouse, and Britney Spears are but a few among the many who tasted the bitter consequences of glory gone sour—overwhelmed, derailed, and often destroyed by their own success.
Muluken, however, made a vital U-turn in time. He found redemption and lived on saving himself from the consuming complexities of stardom.
A Night at the Africa Jazz Club
It was yet another Thursday night at the Africa Jazz Club, and, as often happens there, another pleasant surprise. A young woman—elegant, confident, and fashionable—joined a jam session, as both seasoned performers and newcomers often do. The club’s tradition allows the novice and the legend to share the stage, united only by skill and musical courage.
The young woman was no ordinary talent. She took over from Dawit Adera—the renowned contemporary drummer celebrated for his powerful beats, creativity, and expressive style—and delivered an astonishing performance. Her steady, ebbing rhythm built into a pulsing tempo that carried the audience into a trance-like state.
Soon, keyboardist Abiy GebreMariam introduced Nanu Nanu Ney, one of Muluken’s signature songs. The music swelled, the tempo rising to a feverish pitch, almost veering into a rock-and-roll crescendo. Then, as if by divine orchestration, Tasew Wendim and Dimitros began to soften the energy with the soothing tones of the Washint and Kirar.
What followed was a stunning Ethio-jazz rendition of Muluken’s timeless ballad—a moment that captured the very essence of his legacy. It was a night of remembrance and renewal, a tribute to the eternal, unifying, and soulful spirit of Muluken Melese: eternal, unifying, soulful, and beautifully emancipating.
(Bereket Balcha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Social Anthropology from Addis Ababa University (AAU) and a Diploma in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management from Addis Ababa Commercial College/AAU. His extensive professional background encompasses decades of experience in the aviation industry in diverse roles, complemented by a two-year engagement at the Ethiopia Insurance Corporation. He can be reached at [email protected])
Contributed by Bereket Balcha