{"title":"Mulatu Astatke","description":"\u003ch2\u003eAbout Mulatu Astatke\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMulatu Astatke was born in Jimma, Ethiopia on December 19, 1943. He is widely cited as the founder of Ethio-jazz - the distinctive fusion of traditional Ethiopian pentatonic modes with jazz harmonic and rhythmic frameworks. He studied music in London at the Trinity College of Music and at Berklee College of Music in Boston (becoming Berklee's first African student). His foundational late-1960s and 1970s Ethio-jazz recordings - primarily released in Ethiopia during the imperial era and suppressed during the subsequent Marxist Derg regime (1974-1991) - were rediscovered through the Buda Musique Ethiopiques compilation series launched in 1997. Jim Jarmusch's 2005 film Broken Flowers extensively featured his music, bringing him new international attention. He has continued recording and touring across multiple decades. His 2010 collaboration with the London-based jazz collective the Heliocentrics on Inspiration Information 3 brought him new audiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eSound and style\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eMulatu Astatke's sound is foundational to Ethio-jazz as a recognized genre - combining Ethio-jazz, jazz fusion, Ethiopian traditional music, soul jazz, Latin jazz, and world music with his distinctive vibraphone and percussion work, and arrangements drawing on traditional Ethiopian pentatonic modes (the qenet system) combined with jazz harmonic frameworks alongside Latin and African American musical traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eDiscography highlights\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAfro-Latin Soul (1966, Worthy)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMulatu of Ethiopia (1972, Worthy)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYekatit (1974, Amha)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEthiopiques 4 (1998, Buda Musique) - compilation\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eInspiration Information 3 (2009, Strut) - with the Heliocentrics\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMulatu Steps Ahead (2010, Strut)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSketches of Ethiopia (2013, Jazz Village)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFor collectors\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eOriginal Worthy and Amha Records pressings of the 1970s Mulatu Astatke catalog are widely collected. The Buda Musique Ethiopiques series and Strut Records reissue\/new material programs have restored international catalog availability, with collector demand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eWhere to start\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eListeners new to Mulatu Astatke typically start with Ethiopiques 4 (1998) or Mulatu Steps Ahead (2010). \u003cspan class=\"related-collections\"\u003eExplore more: \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/jazz-vinyl-records\"\u003eJazz\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"mulatu-astatke-inspiration-information-vinyl","title":"Inspiration Information LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe third in STRUT's Inspiration Information studio collaboration series brings together an intriguing pairing between one of Africa's greatest and most innovative bandleaders, MULATU ASTATKE, with the next level musicianship of THE HELIOCENTRICS collective from the mighty roster of STONES THROW \/ NOW AGAIN.Known primarily through the successful 'Ethiopiques' album series and the film soundtrack to JIM JARMUSCH's 'Broken Flowers', Mulatu Astatke is one of Ethiopia's foremost musical ambassadors. His selfstyled Ethio-jazz sound flourished during the \"Swinging Addis\" era of the late '60s as he successfully fused Western jazz and funk with traditional Ethiopian folk melodies. The Heliocentrics have become known as one of the UK's foremost free-thinking collectives of musicians, inspired by a wide palette covering SUN RA, JAMES BROWN, DAVID AXELROD and all manner of psych, Afro and Eastern sounds. The collective have featured on records by MADLIB and DJ SHADOW and are now a fixture within the Stones Throw \/ Now Again roster, they forged their own genre-breaking directions in the astral analogue groove on their 2007 debut album, 'Out There'.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540972712119,"sku":"210000001298","price":33.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/81acbstj2rl-sx425.jpg?v=1781154916"},{"product_id":"mulatu-astatke-mulatu-plays-mulatu-vinyl","title":"Mulatu Plays Mulatu LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eMulatu Plays Mulatu marks Mulatu Astatke's first major studio album in over a decade, reinventing his classic compositions in his pioneered Ethio-jazz style.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540981887159,"sku":"210000100571","price":34.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/mulatu.jpg?v=1781154954"},{"product_id":"mulatu-astatke-tension-cd","title":"Tension CD","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn Mulatu Astatke's \"Tension,\" rhythms clash with seamless precision, echoing the mechanics of a well-tuned machine that drives African jazz forward. Each composition reveals intricate layers, rhythmically propelling listeners through contrasting textures, from the title track to \"Delilah.\" This CD reflects Astatke's brilliance in merging tradition with modernity, ensuring that the music resonates long after it ends.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785656053943,"sku":"210000095742","price":22.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/4398316-3315559.jpg?v=1783045565"},{"product_id":"mulatu-astatke-mulatu-of-ethiopia-white-vinyl","title":"Mulatu of Ethiopia 2LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eRecorded in New York in 1972, this pivotal album marks a juncture in Astatke's musical journey when he adeptly fused various styles to craft the distinctive genre known as Ethio-jazz.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785703403703,"sku":"210000089244","price":37.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/mulatu_bbab35b9-839f-4c6e-a7c8-27e94605d16a.jpg?v=1783045702"},{"product_id":"mulatu-astatke-tension-vinyl","title":"Tension LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eMulatu Astatke's \"Tension LP\" on Batov Records blends African rhythms with jazz, featuring the track \"Tension.\" Each play reveals intricate instrumentation that defines Astatke's style. This LP is crucial for those tracking the development of modern world music.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wax Trax Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48785890050231,"sku":"210000094051","price":34.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0745\/5755\/4871\/files\/4377731-3280751.jpg?v=1783046206"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.waxtraxrecords.com\/collections\/mulatu-astatke.oembed","provider":"Wax Trax Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}