Bleep

Mulatu Astatke’s two Afro Latin Soul LPs are brought together as one compilation release for Strut (both are also available as separate volumes). The ‘Godfather Of Ethio Jazz’ has enjoyed quite the career resurgence in the past few years, and the clamour for fresh finds from the Ethiopian’s back catalogue has led to this pair of records being unearthed. Recorded in 1966, the volumes of Afro Latin Soul see Astatke beginning to break through to the Ethio Jazz style he would perfect on 1972’s Mulatu Of Ethiopia. Along with his Ethiopian Quintet - a red herring of a name given that the band numbered players from the Afro-Latin and American lineages - Astatke creates a powerful mix of Ethiopian modes, Cuban grooves and post-bop innovation.