Azmari Singer Performing at Buenos Aires Jazz Club

Reflected light ripples across the interior of a Retiro jazz club, casting shimmering patterns on the wooden stage floor. An Ethiopian azmari stands center stage, holding a krar, his mouth open mid-verse as he improvises witty lines for the audience. He wears traditional woven clothing, the intricate patterns of his tunic catching the water-dappled illumination. Through the large windows, a light drizzle streaks the glass, blurring the gray midday sky and the wet pavement of the Retiro district outside. Spectators sit at low tables, their faces turned upward with expressions of communal exhilaration. The air is still, yet the wet glass suggests a gentle rain. The singer's hand grips the instrument's neck, the wood grain visible against the silver strings. Shadows stretch long across the floorboards, defined by the angle of the reflected light.