Mulatu Astatke – Plays Ethio-Jazz [1989]

                        R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

            Mulatu Astatke (also written Astatqé on French releases) is arguably one of the most influential and legendary musicians from Ethiopia. During the 1960’s, he studied music abroad in London, Boston, and New York. He then returned home to Ethiopia armed with a love for jazz and Latin music. There he blended Ethiopian traditional music with the Latin-jazz he was so fond of to create a unique hybrid he called “Ethio-jazz”.

      Mulatu Astatke is first and foremost a composer but also a multi-instrumentalist, playing the vibraphone, keyboards and organs. He is further credited as having established congas and bongos, instruments normally central to Latin styles, in Ethiopian music. However, as Ethiopian songs traditionally focused on vocals his greatest contribution to the music of his country was introducing a new focus on instrumentation.

       Mulatu's "Plays Ethio-Jazz" is published for Poljazz, polish discography company.  This is ultra rare album, available only on vinyl.

Tracklist

A1 Addis Ababa 3:20

A2 Gambella 4:00

A3 Motherland 5:55

A4 Kulun Manqualesh 3:00

A5 Crusin´ "J" Town 3:55

B1 Tizita 6:06

B2 Chic-chica 5:20

B3 Yelb Lie Isat 4:00

B4 Lent 6:00

Credits

Bass – Krzysztof Ścierański (tracks: B4), Paweł Jastrzębski (tracks: A1 to A5, B2 to B4), Zbigniew Wegehaupt (tracks: A3)

Guitar, Keyboards – Winicjusz Chróst* (tracks: A1 to A4, B2 to B4)

Guitar, Voice – Jerzy Bartz (tracks: B1)

Percussion – Krzysztof Zawadzki (tracks: A3, A4, B2 to B4)

Saxophone – Tomasz Szukalski (tracks: A1 to A5, B3 ,B4)

Trumpet – Henryk Majewski (tracks: A3, B3, B4)

Vibraphone, Congas – Mulatu Astatke (tracks: A1 to A5, B2 to B4)