Mulatu Astatke & band

The music of Mulatu Astatke intoxicates you from the first note to the last. Now a vigorous eighty year-old, this Ethiopian vibraphonist, percussionist and band leader is the father of Ethiopian jazz. You’ll immediately recognise his unique, irresistible sound from the hypnotic keyboards, oriental-sounding saxophones, strong bass lines and funky grooves that are reminiscent of John Coltrane, Lester Young and Jimmy Smith. It was not until 2005 that his international breakthrough came, thanks to director Jim Jarmusch, who selected no fewer than seven of Mulatu Astatke’s numbers for the soundtrack of his film Broken Flowers. Artists including Nas, Ziggy Marley, Madlib and Kanye West have avidly sampled Astake’s compositions. Since then, this master of Ethiopian jazz has enjoyed cult status. An appointment not to be missed.