One of Africa’s great bandleaders and the father of Ethio-jazz, Mulatu Astatke, released his first new solo album since the 1980s, Mulatu Steps Ahead. In the late 1960s and early ’70s, Astatke was one of the driving forces behind the transformation of the Ethiopian music scene. Astatke, the only vibraphonist on the swinging Addis scene, mixed local sounds and traditional Ethiopian folk melodies with the jazz, funk, Latin music, and psychedelia he’d picked up during his time at music schools in the U.S. and Britain to make something new. He remained little-known outside his home country until the successful Ethiopiques album series came out, and he was featured on the soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers.

On his album released on Strut, Astatke explores new directions in the fusion of Western jazz and Ethiopian modes, evolving the innovative, intoxicating sound that he first pioneered. The album was recorded with personnel from Boston’s Either/Orchestra, Ethiopian musicians in Addis Ababa, members of The Heliocentrics and some of the UK’s finest jazz players. The cinematic and ambient opener “Radcliffe” sets a mood with Mulatu’s vibraphone, and is followed by the folksy and up-tempo “Green Africa.” It all sounds loose and improvisational. “The Way to Nice” is a swinging groove, fitting for a James Bond movie. “Assosa” featuring the Kora, a type of harp from the Assosa tribe of North-Western Ethiopia, sounds something like chamber brass jazz with its horns and classical elements. He recycles and refreshes his own catalog on “I Faram Gami I Faram,” a tune he wrote and recorded in New York in 1966. The Ethio-jazz structure, Latin rhythm and Ethiopian lead singing make a funky rumba hybrid. On the standard “Mulatu’s Mood” we recall classic Astatke with saxes in unison and the kora harp seamlessly incorporated. Astatke has a beautiful solo on “Ethio Blues,” an old school jazz track with blues flavor. The tracks focus on the improvisational jazz side of Astatke’s music, less on the grooves of vintage Ethio-jazz; however, it is a tight and accessible listen.

As the title suggests, Mulatu Steps Ahead, Astatke is progressing as a composer and vibraphonist. Now in his 60s, he is riding a wave of affection for the music he made 35 years ago; instead of resting, he proves why the attention surrounding him is so well deserved: the eclectic selection of themes makes for an enjoyable album for new listeners and old fans.

RELATED POSTS:

No related posts.