If only one name comes to mind when you think of Ethio-jazz, it’s almost certainly that of Mulatu Astatke. A vibraphone and percussion virtuoso, Mulatu has also been prolific on the keys, releasing records under this stylistic nomenclature since the 1970s. Inspired by Ethiopian melodic modes and the rhythms and instrumentation of Latin and other American jazz traditions, Mulatu studied at Berklee College of Music. Ethio-jazz is as cool now as it was then, if not cooler for the vintage air that surrounds it; even its use in NPR music breaks can’t undermine its radical complexities.
That’s not to say, though, that Ethio-jazz is a genre of the past. That much is clear on Mulatu Plays Mulatu, the newest release from the octogenarian musical giant. He frames it as…

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