Mulatu Astatke / NEW YORK – ADDIS – LONDON – The Story Of Ethio Jazz 1965-197

Ethio jazz. That’s what Mulatu Astatke called his style of music when he invented it back in the 1960s, and it means exactly what it implies: Ethiopian melodies played on Western instruments with room for improvisation. Astatke was a pioneer for his country’s modern music. His concept of instrumental music as an end in itself was a bit foreign in his homeland, where singers rule the popular music sphere, and he was among the very first musicians from Ethiopia to learn about music while abroad.
This collection of tracks from the Ethiopian bandleader shows the power of his unique fusion.