Mulatu Astatke

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Mulatu Astatke (var. Astatqé) is an Ethiopian musician and arranger. He is known as the “Father of Ethio-Jazz.” Born in 1943 in the western Ethiopian city of Jimma, Astatke was musically trained in London, New York City, and Boston, where he was the first African student at Berklee College of Music. He would later combine his jazz and Latin music influences with traditional ethiopian music.

In 2005, his music appeared on the soundtrack to the Jim Jarmusch film Broken Flowers (actually, it inspired the film).

He is also active in the Wallias Band.

In 2009, Mulatu Astatke paires up with The Heliocentrics to record the Inspiration Information 3 album. This studio collaboration is part of Strut’s Inspiration Information studio collaboration series. The major part of this album was laid down at Quatermass studios, an analogue HQ in East London during 8th to 14th September 2008. Alongside Mulatu Astatke, London-based Ethiopian musicians including Dawit Gebreab, Yezina Nagash, Mesafnit Nagash and Temesgen Taraken guested on several tracks, contributing traditional sounds using instruments like the krar (a six-stringed, five tone instrument), washint (a flute traditionally made from bamboo) and Begena (a ten string instrument dating back to the 15th century, sometimes referred to as “David’s Harp”).

Tagged as:

jazz, ethiopia, african, ethiopian, world
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Ethiopiques, Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique…
Mulatu Astatke
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Mulatu of Ethiopia
Mulatu Astatke
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Broken Flowers
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Ethio Jazz Vol. 1
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Top Tracks

1	Yegelle Tezeta	272
2	Mulatu	189
2	Yekermo Sew	189
4	Kasalefkut hulu full track	152
5	Gubelye	144
6	Tezeta (Nostalgia)	142
7	Yèkèrmo Sèw (A Man of Experience and Wisdom)	137
8	Munayé (My Muna)	130
9	Yègellé Tezeta (My Own Memory)	129
9	Yègellé tezeta	129
11	Kasalèfkut Hulu (From All the Time I Have Passed)	124
12	Emnete	122
13	Mètché Dershé (When Am I Going to Reach There?)	107
14	Gubèlyé (My Gubel)	101
15	Yèkèrmo sèw	99

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winterhymn wrote:
last month

mulatu rules!

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JOJOKYRA wrote:
last month

Sweet sounds ♥

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Snugharbor wrote:
last month

check out Snug Harbor... NW FUNK! http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sounds-from-the-york/id336512962 Snug Harbor is a funk-soul-fusion septet, tucked away in the corner of the Northwest, in the city of Bellingham, WA. Their ages range from 21-36, but their passion for music is exercised and recognized at every live performance. This amalgamation consists of a diverse array of members ranging from Japan, New York and Maine, to North Dakota and Washington. In 2008, the band set out to increase the awareness toward positive, fun, original and danceable grooves along side a community of brilliant musicians with similar intensions. Fans of Snug Harbor can expect to see and hear musicianship as it relates to funk, jazz, soul and reggae music. Horns, polyrhythms, electric synthesizers, special effects, smooth vocals, crowd participation, and high-energy enthusiasm make up a typical live performance. Snug Harbor released their debut album, “Sounds From the York”, September 22, 2009.

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Renaud___ wrote:
December 2009

Broken Flowers struck me partly because of Mulatu Astatke's music.

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ADLxP wrote:
December 2009

awsome!

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omgmyface wrote:
December 2009

I'm so glad my love of Jim Jarmusch films brought me to this man. Ethiopiques, Vol 4 is so good.

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secretpassage wrote:
December 2009

fuck yes

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kasa408 wrote:
December 2009

his music takes me back to my childhood. my father used to play his records every weekend.

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gunjahstylez wrote:
December 2009

ya ya ya

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marcitolina wrote:
November 2009

adoro!

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danielrava wrote:
October 2009

lux git

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thedailygrowl wrote:
October 2009

http://www.strut-records.com/node/193

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Dianamusic wrote:
October 2009

"El Ethio-Jazz en el siglo XXI". Comentario del concierto de Mulatu Astatké And The Heliocentrics en la Sala Heineken de Madrid: http://www.cuadernosdejazz.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=384:mulatu-askatke-a-the-heliocentrics&catid=9:general&Itemid=8 (Sergio Zeni en Cuadernos de Jazz)

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thedailygrowl wrote:
October 2009

New compilation out on Strut at the end of the month! It's great.

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SE_VEI wrote:
October 2009

Любопытно.

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muchaveer wrote:
September 2009

amazing, amazing, amazing.

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StevePL wrote:
September 2009

groot kunstenaar

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Camloth wrote:
July 2009

juste huuuuuuge

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silverpsycho13 wrote:
July 2009

i love his collab with the Heliocentrics.

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RedArmada wrote:
June 2009

Wonderful

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