D. A. Mekonnen: Dragonchild

D. A. Mekonnen‘s new experimental jazz project dragonchild brings the debut performance of BLACK to National Sawdust in this immersive, multimedia spatial sound performance. Growing up in Texas as a first-generation Ethiopian-American, DA Mekonnen often heard traditional Ethiopian instrumental and vocal recordings around his home and in his community. After becoming an accomplished saxophonist, Danny sought out master Ethiopian musicians to learn to play the traditional instruments of his heritage. Mekonnen is co-founder and long-time director of Debo Band, whose self-titled debut was included on NPR’s 50 Favorite Albums of 2012. The group’s groundbreaking take on Ethiopian music has lead to performances at the Montreal Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, South by Southwest, Sauti za Busara (Zanzibar), and the Ethiopian Music(s) Festival (Addis Ababa), to name a few. He also served as the director of the Nile Project, an ensemble of musicians from the eleven countries of the Nile Basin that promotes regional cooperation and sustainability. Since 2015, he has been an active member of the Silkroad Ensemble and worked alongside Silkroad Founder Yo-Yo Ma and current Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens. He has an M.A. in ethnomusicology from Harvard University where he researched Ethiopian popular music of the 1960s-1970s.