Mulatu Plays Mulatu (Dinked Edition #362)

Mulatu Plays Mulatu marks Mulatu Astatke’s first major studio album in over a decade, reinventing his classic compositions in his pioneered Ethio-jazz style. Blending Western jazz with traditional Ethiopian instruments (krar, masenqo, washint, kebero, begena), reflecting Mulatu’s long-term vision for Ethio-jazz. Recorded in London and Addis Ababa, the album features Mulatu’s UK ensemble, Addis-based cultural musicians, and contemporary artists Carlos Niño and Kibrom Birhane, under producer Dexter Story. Mulatu presents the album as both a tribute to Ethiopian musical pioneers and a fresh reinterpretation ofEthio-jazz, maintaining its relevance while honoring its roots

Strut presents Mulatu Plays Mulatu, the first major studio album in over 10 years from the father of Ethio-jazz, Mulatu Astatke.

Featuring masterful new arrangements of some of his classic compositions, Mulatu Plays Mulatu finds Mulatu revisiting the sounds that helped to change the face of Ethiopian music during the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. The album was recorded between London and Addis Ababa, working with his long-standing UK band, a tight, intuitive ensemble honed through years of live performance, alongside cultural musicians resident at his Jazz Village club in Addis.

Mulatu Plays Mulatu realises Mulatu’s long-term vision of Ethio-jazz, intricately balancing Western jazz arrangements with the rich sounds of traditional Ethiopian instruments including the krar, masenqo, washint, kebero and begena. Throughout the album, he reshapes familiar material with rich textures, expanded improvisations and a deepened rhythmic complexity, creating a body of work that feels as vital and contemporary as it does steeped in tradition. Familiar compositions like ‘Yekermo Sew’, ‘Netsanet’ and the celebratory ‘Kulun’ are reinvented here as elegant big band performances. 

Ethio-jazz brings us together and makes us one,” explains Mulatu. “This album is the culmination of my work bringing this music to the world and pays respect to our unsung heroes, the original musical scientists in Ethiopia who gave us our cultural music.”

Bridging continents and generations throughout his 50-year career, Astatke now offers us an invitation to hear his music again, with a completely fresh perspective. Ethio-jazz, like its creator, is always in motion.

Mulatu Plays Mulatu was produced by Dexter Story and features contemporary artists LA-based artists Carlos Niño and Kibrom Birhane. The album was recorded and mixed by Isabel Gracefield at RAK Studios in London and by Dexter Story in Addis. The inspired album artwork was created by acclaimed Oslo-based Ethiopian artist, Wendimagegn Belete with photography by Alexis Maryon.

Side A

A1. Zelesenga Dewel

A2. Kulun

A3. Netsanet

Side B

B1. Yekermo Sew

B2. Chik Chikka

B3. Motherland

B4. Yekatit