Photo: Karston Tannis
It’s been over a decade since Mulatu Astatke released a full-length studio album. Lucky for us, this September, he returns with Mulatu Plays Mulatu, a new record set for release on September 26th through Strut. The album revisits and reworks key pieces from across his career, offering new arrangements that reflect both his musical evolution and enduring vision. Known as the father of Ethio-jazz, Astatke was instrumental in creating a unique fusion of traditional Ethiopian music with jazz and Latin influences during the “Swinging Addis” era. “Throughout my life, I wanted to bring Ethio jazz to all corners of the world for people to enjoy and I feel that I have succeeded in that,” he says.
On Mulatu Plays Mulatu, classics like ‘Yekermo Sew’, ‘Nètsanèt’ and ‘Kulun’ are reshaped with new arrangements, weaving expanded improvisations and rich textures. The record balances Western jazz structures with traditional Ethiopian instruments including the krar, masenqo, washint, kebero and begena. “Ethio-jazz brings us together and makes us one,” says Astatke. “This album is the culmination of my work bringing this music to the world and pays respect to our unsung heroes, the original musical scientists in Ethiopia who gave us our cultural music.”
Ahead of the album’s release, we can already hear the first splendid single, ‘Nètsanèt’, a reworking of the classic track meaning “freedom”. It was recorded between London and Addis Ababa, with Astatke working alongside his long-standing UK band, an ensemble shaped through years of live performance and Jazz Village sessions in Addis. Listen to it below.
