Mulatu Astatke
Sketches Of Ethiopia

THE REVIEW

Even for the most awkward jazz listener, as I might be, the title brings to mind the famous Sketches Of Spain by Miles Davis. A heavy legacy to pick up, which also requires a certain degree of confidence in one's abilities. Perhaps, a certain degree of arrogance?

Mulatu Astatke doesn't seem to be driven by the egocentrism typical of other more or less important names in the jazz scene, where the absolute leader is well-known. Think of geniuses like Coltrane, Mingus, and Davis himself. People who changed their traveling companions like socks. Mulatu is in love with his land, in love with the warm sometimes, other times languid rhythms of its traditional music. In the mid-2000s, the musician (multi-instrumentalist, composer, conductor) was brought to the attention of a wide audience thanks to the highly effective soundtrack assembled and selected by director Jim Jarmusch for his "Broken Flowers." This was followed in 2010 by the album Mulatu Steps Ahead, and three years later, this Sketches Of Ethiopia.

It's jazz that has nothing to do with smoky metropolitan clubs or noir film prostitutes. It is ethnic music that falls in love with bebop and flirts with Latin vibes. Ochre is the color that comes to mind, dotted with dull green and some spicy flame. "Gambella" has an orthodox rhythm that supports irresistible dances of winds, acoustic guitars, clapping hands. The others skip between relaxed moments, complex, captivating, perhaps at times a bit prolix.

A journey that traces a line between Addis, the motherland and muse, France, home of the Jazz Village label, and England, where some of the talented musicians who take part in this celebration come from.