Mulatu Astatqé

The Profile

Mulatu Astatke (born 19 December 1943) is an Ethiopian musician, composer and arranger, widely credited as a pioneer of Ethio-jazz.

Studied music abroad (including London and the Berklee College of Music), developed a distinctive fusion of Ethiopian traditional music and jazz, and reached wider audiences after his compositions were used in the film Broken Flowers (2005).

Reviews praise Mulatu Astatke's blend of Ethiopian traditional music and jazz, noting cinematic exposure after Broken Flowers. A 2009 collaboration with The Heliocentrics updates his sound with funk and psychedelia. Sketches Of Ethiopia is described as warm, rhythmic and evocative of Addis and beyond.