Strut continue their essential work with the “Godfather Of Ethio Jazz”,
Mulatu Astatke, with the first official reissues of his early classics ‘Afro
Latin Soul’ Volumes 1 and 2
from 1966, recorded as The Ethiopian Quintet. Arriving after
Astatke’s life-changing years studying at Berklee College in Boston, the
albums were the first experiments in his pioneering sound, fusing Ethiopian
cultural music with Afro Latin and jazz forms. “I have always felt a deep
connection between Latin and African music,” he explains. “I travelled to
Cuba and listened to their musicians; the tempo, rhythm and feeling was very
similar to different African forms. In the mid-‘60s, I formed a band called
The Ethiopian Quintet in New York comprising Ethiopian, Latin and Afro-American
musicians – the band included trumpeter and pianist Rudy Houston who later
played with Yambu and Felix Torres who played with La Sonora Poncena.”
Supported by Worthy Records’ Gil Snapper who offered to record the quintet,
Astatke began to experiment during two separate sessions: “We created a
different feel and different arrangements. On the first recording, I played an
adaptation of an ancient Ethiopian warrior song, ‘I Faram Gami
I Faram’ – the lyrics were translated so that the singer could sing it in
Spanish. Some compositions were important steps for me: ‘Mascaram Setaba’
(‘Summer Is Coming’) ‘Shagu’ and ‘Almaz’. With the second album, a
personal favourite is ‘Girl From Addis Ababa’ which worked very nicely as a
fusion of Ethiopian modes and R&B rhythms.” Astatke would start to perfect
his Ethio jazz sound on his later album for Worthy in 1972, ‘Mulatu Of
Ethiopia’ (STRUT129) but the two volumes of ‘Afro Latin Soul’ stand as
important recordings documenting his early career. “It was a very interesting
time to be in New York during the mid-‘60s. I was there at the same time as
Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Fela Kuti and we each tried to play our part in
putting Africa on the map of contemporary jazz.” ‘Afro Latin Soul’ Volumes
1 and 2 come in their full original artwork and are painstakingly remastered
by The Carvery. All formats feature personal liner notes by Mulatu Astatke.
- first official reissue of landmark Mulatu Astatke albums from 1966
- early Ethio jazz / Afro Latin experiments from the early days of Astatke’s career
- fully remastered by The Carvery
- package includes new liner notes by Mulatu Astatke
- essential addition to Strut’s Mulatu Astatke official reissue series