ABOUT US
The rhymes and chimes of BLACK JESUS eXPERIENCE (BJX) deliver the power and beauty of Africa through the vocal prism of Hip-Hop and freedom of Funk.
BLACK JESUS eXPERIENCE (BJX) is a 7 piece band playing an irresistibly danceable alloy of traditional Ethiopian song and 21st Century groove. Black Jesus eXperience’s music reflects the multicultural vibrancy of the band’s hometown, Melbourne, Australia.
Singer Enushu began entertaining her local community as a child in Addis Ababa, migrating to Australia bringing hauntingly beautiful compositions inspired by her remarkable life story and the unique vocal traditions of Ethiopia. Enushu is joined on vocals by poetic giant and lyrical miracle Mr Monk, Zimbabwe born and Outback bred.
BJX boasts a rich history of collaborations both within its own artistic community and with international greats like Mulatu Astatke. When not touring BJX run a weekly session at cultural hub The Horn creating new songs live on stage featuring guests, a practice that lies in the improvising traditions of that feed BJX including Hip Hop, Jazz, Azmari and Funk.
Currently in its 20th orbit of the sun BJX has:
Released 9 albums, including two collaborations with Mulatu Astatke, receiving accolades and international acclaim including 4 Star reviews from Blues + Soul, The Times, NPR Radio, and being The Guardian Jazz Album of the Month;
Toured 5 continents, highlights including performing at the United Nations African HQ in Ethiopia (African Union 50th and 60th Anniversaries), and major festivals including Glastonbury (UK), WOMAD (Aus), SAKIFO (Réunion), Bushfire (Swaziland), Wasserfest (Germany) and winning The Age National Tour Award.
BIOGRAPHIES
Enushu Taye (vocals)
Hailing from Ethiopia, Enushu was only a child when she began singing for her local community. In 1992 she was forced to take refuge in Cairo. In 1996 Enushu migrated to Australia bringing to Melbourne her hauntingly beautiful compositions inspired by her remarkable life story and the unique vocal traditions of Ethiopia. Enushu co-led the group GOJAM producing two acclaimed albums ‘World In A Jam’ and ‘Back On Earth’.
Mr Monk (MC)
Of Zimbabwean/Australian heritage and known by his peers as the “lyrical miracle”, Monk represents with rhythmic flows, conscious word play and a definitive raw fire on the mike. Monk cut his teeth on stage with the pioneering live multicultural hip-hop band, Culture Connect. No stranger to the club and festival circuit in Australia, he has collaborated and performed with international touring acts Ganga Giri, Grilla Step, producer Mista Savona (Sizzla), Emdee, and jazz prodigy Aaron Choulai lending his powerful and versatile rap stylings to live reggae, jazzy beats, and electronic dance music both on record and at major dance festivals.
Bob Sedergreen (Piano/Keys)
Jazz great Bob Sedergreen listed in the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, winner Ken Myers and Don banks Music Awards.
Toured with Milt Jackson, Nat Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Witherspoon, Phil Woods, represented Australia at European Jazz Festivals with the Brian Brown Quartet, and Montreal International Jazz Festival with Onage.
Led Blues On The Boil and multicultural pioneers Art Attack.
Recorded with Don Burrows, James Morrison, Brian Brown OAM, Allan Brown OAM, Dr Tony Gould and Ted Vining.
Artistic Director of Montsalvat Jazz Festival 1994-92, Adjunct Professor at VCA , Conservatorium of Music (UOM), NMIT and RMIT.
Published music author.
Peter Harper (tenor saxophone)
Harper has been a torch-bearer for the avant-garde on four continents, as an instrumentalist and as an inspirational composer, since the early 1980’s. His searingly powerful sound manifests his longtime dedication to the practice of overtones and musical studies under Ratu Pandji, and the great Evan Parker. He has performed and recorded worldwide with Musiikki Oy, Steve Lacy, House Arrest (Paul Grabowsky), The Australian Art Orchestra, Mulatu Astatke, Egypt 80, Night Z, Something Else, Where’s Henry, The Big One, GOJAM and BLOW.
Ian Dixon (trumpet & flugelhorn)
Extensive travel and study of birdsong informs Ian Dixon’s unique approach to improvisation and composition. Ian co-led ground breaking jazz-hiphop band ‘UTE’ in Australia and in London during the 1980’s and 90’s and is privileged to have worked with many great jazz, classical and contemporary artists in Australia, UK/Europe, America and Africa, including close working relationships with Ethiopian master musician Mulatu Astatke, with iconic German musician Irmin Schmidt (‘Can’) and Kumo, Guru (Keith Elam), Egypt 80, Kenny Garret, ‘No Man’, Max Romeo, ‘Musiikki-Oy/BLOW’, Paul Chivers aka ‘Ramjac’, Dale Barlow and Ray Vega amongst others.
Lorenzo ‘Larry’ Crestani (guitar)
Larry Crestani is a Melbourne (Naarm)-based guitarist and musician best known for his work with the Ethio-jazz collective Black Jesus eXperience. He is a core member of the band, contributing guitar work to their blend of Ethiopian-inspired music, jazz, funk, and global groove influences.
He is also the bandleader and creative force behind Standing Circle, a Melbourne ensemble featuring rotating local musicians. The group performs their own compositions that combine world music influences, funk, and jazz improvisation in a live, exploratory setting.
Max Raz-Liebman (bass)
A fixture of Melbourne’s vibrant music scene, Max Raz-Liebman’s commitment to expression, groove, and melody, has seen him play with a myriad of artists across genre boundaries.
His playing can be heard on recordings with Australian jazz legends Andrea Keller and Kristin Berardi, as well as with renowned American trumpet player Ingrid Jensen.
His cross-continental influences provide the bustling underpinning to Black Jesus Experience’s unrelenting groove machine.
Kahan Harper (drums and percussion)
Student of Australian Jazz Legends Ted Vining and Bob Sedergreen, Melbourne based Drummer/Percussionist Kahan Harper has toured locally and internationally since the age of eleven.
Kahan has collaborated and performed with a multitude of international artists including Afrobeat giants Egypt 80, Zambian icon Danny Kaya, Senegalese Master percussionist Lamine Sonko, ‘Bob Sedergreen and Friends’, and Umar Zakaria’s ‘Jazz Melayu’, as well as recording and touring internationally with legendary Ethio-Jazz founder Mulatu Astatke.
Performance Highlights
FESTIVALS
- Glastonbury 2011 & 2017 (UK)
- WOMAD 2009 & 2024 (Australia)
- SAKIFO / IOMMa (La Réunion)
- Bushfire Festival (Swaziland)
- AZGO Festival (Mozambique)
- Big Chill (UK)
- City Of London Festival (UK)
- Dashen Music Festival (Gonder, Ethiopia)
- African Union Expo (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
- Wasserfest (Berlin, Germany)
- Summer Jazz (Hamburg, Germany)
- Park Life (UK)
- Big Day Out (Australia)
- Wide Open Space (Australia)
- Global Carnival (Australia)
- Songlines (Australia)
- AWME (Australia)
- Golden Plains (Australia)
- Melbourne International Jazz Festival (Australia)
- Brisbane International Jazz Festival (Australia)
- Sydney Festival (Australia)
- Vivid Sydney (Australia)
- The Adelaide Festival of Arts (Australia)
- MONA FOMA (Australia)
- Brisbane Arts Festival (Australia)
- Fremantle Arts Festival (Australia)
- Moomba International Arts Festival (Australia)
- Strawberry Fields (Australia)
- Island Vibe (Australia)
- Tanglewood (Australia)
- National Multicutural Festival (Australia)
MAJOR TOURS
- BJX Ethiopia 2025
- BJX La Réunion 2025
- Mulatu Astatke with BJX Australia ‘To Know Without Knowing’ Tour 2019
- BJX Ethiopia 2017
- BJX UK 2017
- Mulatu Astatke with BJX Australia ‘Cradle Of Humanity’ Tour
Australia/NewZealand 2016 - BJX South & East Africa 2015
- Mulatu Astatke with BJX Australia 2013
(Winner of ‘The Age Best National Tour’) - BJX Ethiopia 2011
- BJX Europe/UK 2011
- Mulatu Astatke with BJX UK 2011
- Mulatu Astatke with BJX Australia/New Zealand 2011
- Mulatu Astatke with BJX Australia 2010
- BJX Europe/UK 2009
- BJX Ethiopia 2009
SELECTED VENUES
- House On Fire (Mahlanya, Swaziland)
- The Orbit Jazz Club (Johannesburg, South Africa)
- Nucleo de Arte (Maputo, Mozambique)
- The Chairman (Durban, South Africa)
- Tigray Stadium (Mekele, Ethiopia)
- Mamas Kitchen (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
- African Jazz Village – The Ghion (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
- United Nations ECA Conference Centre (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
- Bahir Dar Adarash (Bahir Dar, Ethiopia)
- Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin, Germany)
- Molotov (Rieperbahn, Hamburg, Germany)
- Club Alize (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
- Momo (London, UK)
- Arts Centre (Melbourne, Australia)
- Festival Centre (Adelaide, Australia)
- The Powerhouse (Brisbane, Australia)
- The Famous Spiegeltent (Bris & Melb, Australia)
- The Basement (Sydney Australia)
- The Horn (Melbourne, Australia)
Reviews
“Beautifully layered and organic, trippy and hypnotic. This is the good stuff, don’t waste a drop of it!
– Blues And Soul Magazine
“An irresistible collective effort. Volcanic.. fusillades of brass and percussion.. spiraling rhythms.. starkly hypnotic.“
– The Times, Clive Davis
“Black Jesus Experience is as unforgettable as its name…”
– Peter Burdon, Blaze
“They had the whole audience in the palm of their hands dancing along to their Ethiopian/Jazz influenced beats and melodies.”
– Clemmie, Pressure Cooker (WOMADelaide)
“Traditional Ethiopian song, jazz, funk and hip hop are transformed by Black Jesus Experience into a cascading collection of sights and sounds. The galvanising element of this nine-piece Australian ensemble is petite Ethiopian Enushu, who radiates warmth and sings songs of her homeland in a pure, sweet voice. BJX beat out rhythms that had the audience leaping to its feet. They sang and freestyled about Adelaide, slavery and the fact we’re all on earth under one sky.”
– Louise Nunn, The Advertiser
“Adelaide spirituality was awakened when Melbourne based, Ethiopian-inspired band Black Jesus Experience played the Festival Centre, much to the joy of everyone present. It was the band’s first return to our city since playing WOMADelaide in 2009, and their reception was very deserving! It didn’t take long for the masses to warm up the dance floor, and the sensational sounds of East Africa elated the hearts of all the eager punters. The Ethiopian influence oozed through the air, making it thick and sultry and inducing you to groove. “It was an amazing show and I can’t wait to see these guys again.”
– Rip It Up
“Ancient to modern sensibility. Rammed with more rhythm-stretching melody than its groove ought to have room for.”
– The Guardian, John Fordham
“An absorbing ride. Collectivity, groove and a powerful live show are prized and shine through; perfect for the festival season we are sadly missing.”
-The Observer, Neil Spencer
“Beautifully played, beautifully arranged and composed.”
-NPR, John Morrison
“Black Jesus Experience created a warm and potent ensemble sound blending Afro-Latin rhythms, improvised jazz solos and the exotic five tone scales that are integral to Ethiopian music. “The grooves were heady, the basslines thick and the horn voicings pungent, the overall effect of Sunday’s concert was a seductive invitation into a unique sound world.”
– Jessica Nicholas, The Age
“BJX gave a tremendous performance as part of this year’s City of London Festival. They are such an exciting collaboration and a unique exponent of Melbourne’s thriving music scene. Their combination of hip-hop vocals, Ethiopian song and Melbourne jazz enchanted the audience. We will have them back in Blighty anytime!”
– Ruth Oakley, City of London Festival
“Ethiopian flavoured music has certainly taken root Down Under. Black Jesus Experience,..(an) excellent Australian band exhibiting the influence, boasts unimpeachable bona fides, having forged an association with the founding father of so-called Ethiojazz, Mulatu Astatke. Not only that, but by adding other elements, primarily hip hop, the Melbourne collective has arguably established a vibrant new variation on the Ethiopian experience.”
– Tony Hillier, Rhythms Magazine (profile)
“Black Jesus Experience, a terrific horn-driven band fronted by a dynamic Ethiopian songstress.”
– Tony Hillier, Rhythms Magazine (Live Reviews)
Contact Us
For bookings and media enquiries please call: +61 (03) 9417 4670
or email: info@blackjesusexperience.com.