Winter Jazzfest, now in its 16th year, showcases the staggering diversity of the music scene in New York. This seven-piece instrumental band plays cinematic R&B and funk that was described by John Schaefer as "the perfect music for a Quentin Tarantino movie that hasn't been made yet." Along with other pioneers of the scene in Addis Ababa like Mulate Astatke, Mergia is bringing this elegant music back into circulation, and we are all richer for it.