Abatte Barihun

Barihun was born in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. His house resided next to the music school of Addis Ababa University, as well as a nearby military base. Young Barihun fell for the March sound of the saxophones and other wind instruments emerging from the neighbouring military brass band. He got a saxophone and joined the music school, where he was exposed to Western Jazz albums of Charlie Parker and others.

By the age of 16, Barihun joined the Ethiopian Military band, with which he toured through Ethiopia and the Eastern Bloc. Mengistu Haile Mariam once sent him to play at Kim Il-sung’s birthday in North Korea. This period in his life came to an abrupt end six years later, when the band’s bus was ambushed by EPRDF forces, rebelling against Mengistu’s Marxist dictatorship. Most band members were killed in the prolonged attack, and Barihun was wounded by two bullets.

Barihun joined his family in Israel on 1999, leaving behind his ex-wife and their son Nahum. His dream - being a musician in Israel - has proven difficult to realize. Facing a language barrier and the burden of alimony, Barihun worked as a dishwasher in a restaurant through the day and as a night security guard. His fingers were burned by dishwashing detergents, hindering his practice with his saxophones.

He was discovered by Moshe Bar-Yuda, then head of the TOMER NGO, and formerly (1957) one of the first Israeli emissaries to Beta Israel communities. Bar Yuda brought Barihun together with musicologist Shlomo Israeli, who was deeply touched by Barihun's playing. Israeli paired Barihun with jazz pianist Yitzhak Yedid, a successful match that gave rise to the Ras Deshen Ensemble.

Ras Deshen's premiere concert took place in September 2001 on a Festival in Tel Aviv. On September 2002 the duo recorded its self-titular maiden album, which was released in 2004. The album was hailed by music critics and was rated among the two best Israeli jazz albums of the year.