lockdown : vinyl find #46.

Ethiopian music was among the first genres that I dived into when I started digging into those "global grooves". I associated "genre" and "Ethiopian music" because most of what got out of this marvelous country can be categorized as ethio-jazz. Of course, it is only part of what Ethiopia has produced. 

Schooled in some of the best music schools of the Western world (in London, Boston and New York City), Mulatu Astatke was already a trained musician when the Derg dictatorship took over Ethiopia and shut down the boiling music scene of Addis. He had already invented a formula, which he would keep on refining under the trademark "ethio-jazz". 

Probably thanks to his student years abroad, Mulatu Astatke developed a sense of international collaborations which led him to publish records on labels from the USA, Australia, France, etc. 

Seeing him releasing a record on a Polish label should be no surprise, especially on such a reference label, Poljazz. But it was still the Cold War, with controlled borders for both humans and cargo : a challenge. Accepted. 

Getting Mulatu's originals (LP or singles) around 2010 was almost impossible. Thankfully, his music was widely available on CD thanks to the work of archeologist by musicologist Francis Falceto. His "Ethiopiques" series brought Ethiopian music forward and shed light on the stars of the genre : Mahmoud Ahmed, Tlahoun Gessèssè, Alèmayèhu Eshèté etc. 

This album by Mulatu was one of the few to be affordable. I bought a first copy off internet. When I received it, I thought "wtf, a kid scribbled on the f* cover !!!". It took me some time to realize it was the actual design... My bad. 

Then, in a store in Vienna, Austria, I found another copy, super cheap, and bought it. 

With "Plays ethio-jazz", Mulatu apparently broke a 15-year silence, with class. The first category that comes to mind would be jazz-fusion, in a very 1980's trend. The opening with a sax says it all ? Not really. Percussions and bass are equally important to the balance of the album. Vibraphones, Mulatu's main instrument, are discreet but appear underneath from time to time then blend again.  

Recorded with the crème de la crème of the Polish jazz musicians of the time, "Plays ethio-jazz" is the ideal combination of African rhythms and melodies played with a Western vibe. A bit cheesy to our ears of 2020, but it brings a candid charm to it. 

Mulatu Astatke - Plays ethio-jazz.

 

Although Mulatu recorded several of his tracks multiple times, I couldn't find on internet the recordings he did for this album. Sorry.  

By the way, here's Mulatu's Red Bull Music Academy master class. 

And if Mulatu plays in concert near your home, don't hesitate : book your ticket. It was the only concert I booked 6 months in advance, and I did myself a favor. It's a guaranteed grand experience.