Mulatu Astatke, Ethio-jazz maestro

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the music of Mulatu Astatke as an instance of ‘the black Atlantic culture’ (Gilroy 1993). The characteristics of such a musical culture are that it is hybrid in outlook and composition, contaminated by influences from other cultures and that it eschews notions of cultural absolutism. A musician and the music he makes, perhaps more so than any other artist, is a product of his country, his culture and his times. Ethiopia is an ancient African country with a documented history going back almost two millennia and it enjoys a unique position in the history of the continent. The Ethiopian monarchy survived the late nineteenth century inroads of European imperialism with its traditional political, social and other institutions virtually intact. This rich cultural legacy was to become a defining factor for Mulatu Astatke, Ethiopia's musician extraordinaire.