1966 Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet “Afro-Latin Soul” on Worthy Records

1966 7” EP Mulatu Astatke Quartet “Ethiopian Jazz” on Addis Ababa Records.

These records are beyond amazing for so many reasons, but the one that makes me laugh the most is how some of the tunes are on the Italian comp-boot “Pop Art” under the name Jonny “Paciuga” Farmer And His Quintett. There definitely is a Latin feel to the deep Ethiopian-ness, and that may in part be because it was recorded in Brooklyn, but also the sly addition of salsito Luis “Tirano” Rodríguez on trumpet and vocals. Astatke, of course, murders the vibes but also plays drums and piano. He might as well have declared himself to be from Pluto and 5000 years old, because there is a futuristic other-worldliness to the music that is on par with Mr. Ra, while also being a celebration of ancestral roots, a very difficult trick to pull off. What is Ethio-Jazz, you might ask, and how does one earn the distinction of “Father Of Ethio-Jazz”?

​Well, just spin the disc, the answer is right there between the grooves. “But is he also the father of Afro-Latin Soul”? Well, I’d have to say no, but can easily be a beloved cousin, and if you want to restrict that title only to compositions using the five tone scales of Ethiopia, America, and Puerto Rico combined in one recording in deepest Brooklyn, then, yes, the man is Daddy. It’s like, how often do you see an Ethopian Skitsa Dance performed with Spanish vocals and a a pulsing aorta of congas and timbales? Not often, friends, not often. In the end, this music is grooving, eerie, haunting, life-affirming, transportive, lovely, and pure genius.