mulatu astatke is considered the father of ethio jazz. He was born in the western ethiopian city of jimma in 1943 and advanced his musical education in london, new york and boston. from this foundation he combined jazz and latin american influences with traditional ethiopian music to create a new and unique sound.
yekermo sew
swinging addis...
regarded as the golden age of modern ethiopian music, the 1960's and 70's was a renaissance of unique musical styles in the horn of africa!
as in the rest of the world ethiopia in the 1960's was experiencing post war modernity. After the failed coup d'etat of 1960 emperor haile sellassie I compromised and showed an increasingly progressive approach. ethiopia became an international showcase of non alignment and african unity. addis ababa, the capital city and only metropolis of this centralised empire became the very essence of modernist audacity - music became a central theme of this renewed cultural spirit.
the influences from contemporary african america are there but the sound is uniquely ethiopian. as well as mulatu astatke, This period gave rise to great musicians and bands such as tesfa maryam kidané, girma bèyèné, mahmoud ahmed, Alèmayèhu eshèté, walias band and many many more.
