Mulatu was the first Ethiopian jazz music-maker to study abroad and thus be exposed to Western musical trends.When he returned to Addis Ababa he pursued his dream of drawing on the musical heritage of his homeland – a heritage that has been buffeted by Ethiopia’s turbulent history – to produce a unique, compelling blend of music: ‘Ethiopian sounds with a twist’.In the late 1960’s, his Ethio jazz introduced, among other new ideas, the Afro-Latin soul where he played conga, piano, vibraphone and innovative musical arrangements.These included compositions of popular Ethio jazz music which took on a modern, funk, jazz-infused quality that soon had recording companies knocking at his door.

*Contains a CD and DVD!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABEBE ZEGEYE is Director of the Wits Institute for Social and Economic research (WISER), University of the Witwatersand, Johannesburg,South Africa.

CATEGORY

Music, Music Studies/AFRICA