Ethiopian Jazz | World Music Central

The album cover for Mulatu Plays Mulatu by Mulatu Astatke features a sepia-toned portrait of the artist in the center, framed by Ethiopian script and surrounded by intricate black-and-white illustrations of traditional instruments, cultural symbols, and historical imagery.

Album reviews

Mulatu Plays Mulatu’s Ethio-jazz Brings Us Together

Angel Romero August 30, 2025 No Comments Ethio-jazz Ethiopian Jazz Ethiopian music Mulatu Astatke vibraphone world fusion world music

Mulatu Astatke — Mulatu Plays Mulatu (Strut Records, 2025) Mulatu Plays Mulatu is Mulatu Astatke’s first major studio album in more than a decade. Furthermore,…

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Artist Profiles

Mulatu Astatke, the Father of Ethio-jazz

Angel Romero August 7, 2025 No Comments Ethio-jazz Ethiojazz Ethiopia Ethiopian Jazz Ethiopian music Mulatu Astatke world fusion world music

Mulatu Astatke (b. 19 December 1943) is an Ethiopian musician, composer, and arranger widely regarded as the originator of Ethio-jazz, a genre that fuses Ethiopian…

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Album reviews

Tradition and Getting Around it

Tom Orr September 22, 2016 No Comments 9Bach Afrocuban Ana Alcaide Aziza Brahim Baird Hersey blues Brazilian music chicha drumming Ethiopian Jazz Louisiana music Luisa Maita Money Chicha Nexus Nii Okai Tagoe nyckelharpa Richard Bona rock Saharawi music Spanish music Welsh music world music Zydeco

Being a self-styled traditionalist doesn’t mean my musical tastes are so staunch that I shun any sonic adventurousness that steps over traditional boundaries. Cross the…

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