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Mulatu Astatke is a legendary Ethiopian musician known for his significant influence on the music scene. Born in Ethiopia, he studied music in London, Boston, and New York during the 1960s. After returning home, he combined Ethiopian traditional music with his passion for jazz and Latin music to create a unique genre known as "Ethio-jazz." Astatke is primarily a composer and a multi-instrumentalist, proficient in playing the vibraphone, keyboards, and organs. He is recognized for introducing congas and bongos into Ethiopian music, which traditionally emphasized vocals. His innovative approach shifted the focus toward instrumentation in Ethiopian songs. He recorded three LPs in New York City, including his first two, Afro-Latin Soul Volumes 1 & 2, in 1966, and later, Mulatu of Ethiopia in 1972. Much of his work was released through Amha Records in Addis Ababa, where he produced several 7” singles and the LP Yekatit Ethio-Jazz in 1974. In recent years, Astatke has garnered renewed interest in the West, particularly through a compilation in the Ethiopiques series and features in Jim Jarmusch’s 2005 film Broken Flowers. He is currently involved in a project to re-record some of his earlier works and create new material in collaboration with notable musicians, including drummer Max Weissenfeldt and others. Background material for this bio comes from various sources, including Ethiop

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