Azmaris are Ethiopian bards, poet-musicians as skilled in lyrical double-entendre and pun as they are with their instruments. They are comparable to the griots of West Africa, who capture the cultural history of their communities in verse and song and the troubadours of middle-ages Europe, wandering composers and performers of lyrical poetry. Azmaris are traditionally involved in many aspects of Ethiopian life, from marriages and religious celebrations to quiet nights at rural bars. Azmari instruments of choice are the masenqo, a single-stringed lute played with a bow whose melodies can…
