Mulatu Astatke
Mulatu Astatke invented Ethio-jazz. The first African student at Berklee College of Music, he blended the five-note scales of Ethiopian music with jazz, Latin rhythms and funk, using vibraphone, organ, horns and congas to create a hypnotic, smoky sound.
His 60s and 70s recordings in New York and Addis Ababa, including Mulatu of Ethiopia, found a new generation of fans through the Éthiopiques compilation series and Jim Jarmusch's film Broken Flowers. Since then he has recorded with the Heliocentrics and toured the world as the genre's leading figure.
If you like Mulatu Astatke you should check out: Fela Kuti, Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Charlie Mingus, Khruangbin, The Budos Band, Cymande, Abdou El Omari
