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Mulatu Astatke (Amharic: ሙላቱ አስታጥቄ), also written Astatqé on French releases, is a legendary and influential musician from Ethiopia. In the 1960s, he studied music in London, Boston, and New York, returning to Ethiopia with a passion for jazz and Latin music. He created a unique hybrid called "Ethio-jazz" by blending Ethiopian traditional music with Latin-jazz influences. Astatke is primarily a composer and a multi-instrumentalist, proficient in the vibraphone, keyboards, and organs. He is notable for introducing congas and bongos into Ethiopian music, which are typically associated with Latin styles. His significant contribution to Ethiopian music lies in shifting the focus from vocals to instrumentation. 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. Most of his work was released through Amha Records in Addis Ababa, where he produced several 7” singles and one LP titled Yekatit Ethio-Jazz in 1974. Recently, Astatke has gained renewed attention in the West, particularly through a compilation in the Ethiopiques series and a 10” 4-track compilation from a label in Brighton, England. His music was also featured in Jim Jarmusch’s

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