https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kuNU0_2WshzZ2SmFqu2Q4Q0U84oboNQ80

"Mulatu of Ethiopia showcases perhaps the widest range of Mulatu’s talents—including jazz, funk, and what sounds like atmospheric soundtracking—and acts as an excellent initial entry into his catalog." (8.7, Pitchfork)

Strut present the first official reissue of a landmark album in the field of African music, Mulatu Astatke’s ‘Mulatu Of Ethiopia’ from 1972. Recorded in New York, the album arrived at a time when Astatke had begun to master the delicate fusion of styles needed to create Ethio jazz. “I left the UK for America and studied at Berklee College in Boston. I learnt the technical aspects of jazz and gained a beautiful understanding of many different types of music. That’s where I got my tools. Berklee really shook me up.”

Journeying regularly to the Big Apple to play and watch live shows at the Cheetah, the Palladium and the Village Gate, Astatke met producer Gil Snapper on the circuit. “Gil was a nice and very interesting guy. He produced music and worked with all kinds of musicians.” The meeting would lead to a series of albums on Snapper’s Worthy label. The first, ‘Afro Latin Soul’, documented Astatke’s new-found directions. “Mulatu has created a new sound,” enthused Snapper on the album jacket. “He has taken the ancient five-tone scales of Asia and Africa and woven them into something unique and exciting; a mixture of three cultures, Ethiopian, Puerto Rican and American.”

A second volume of ‘Afro Latin Soul’ followed before Astatke began to hone his sound further, infusing funk and Azmari “chik-chikka” rhythms into the mix. Returning to a downtown Manhattan studio with Snapper and working with some of the city’s top young jazz and latin session players, ‘Mulatu Of Ethiopia’ began to take shape. “We rehearsed for 3-4 weeks,” remembers Astatke. .......
more

Z okazji 25-lecia wytwórni Strut, mamy przyjemność zaprezentować specjalną edycję przełomowego albumu w dziedzinie muzyki afrykańskiej - "Mulatu Of Ethiopia" Mulatu Astatke.

Nagrany w Nowym Jorku w 1972 roku album wyznacza punkt zwrotny w muzycznej podróży Astatke, umiejętnie łącząc różne style tworzy charakterystyczny gatunk znany jako Ethio-jazz.

Ta specjalna edycja zawiera oryginalny miks stereo całego albumu, a także specjalny "mono-mix" każdego utworu odzyskanego z oryginalnych 2-calowych taśm, tłoczonych na nieprzezroczystym białym winylu 2LP.