MULATU ASTATKE
ETHIOPIA
Afterwards in the café: DJ Terrie Ex
Mulatu Astatke vibrafoon/wurlitzer/percussie/composites, James Arben sax/basklartinet/fluit, Byron Wallen trompet, Danny Keane cello, Alexander Hawkins piano/keyboard, John Edwards bas, Richard Olatunde Baker percussie, Jon Scott drums
As the father of Ethio Jazz, Mulatu Astatke has made a successful comeback in the past decade. The Ethiopian vibraphone and percussion player lived in London and New York in the 1960s, where he created the foundation of his captivating mixture of jazz harmonies, latin rhythms and Ethiopian melodies, with an important role for analogue keyboards.
In the 1970s Mulatu brought Ethio Jazz to his home land. He recorded a number of albums and performed with Duke Ellington, but his music was rarely heard outside of Ethiopia. In 2005 he finally reached an international audience thanks to the soundtrack of the Jim Jarmusch film Broken Flowers. His music has also been sampled by hip-hop artists such as Kanye West, Nas and Madlib.
‘The music seems both ancient and modern at once. Utterly intoxicating from the first note to the last – funky, haunting, complex, memorable, exciting and unique’ (Pitchfork).
The concert will consist of one set of 90 minutes, without intermission.
Afterwards in the café: DJ Terrie Ex
Photography Policy
No photos, recording, taping,
videotaping or any other broadcast of the artist’s performance during
the soundcheck or the concert will be allowed.
The Bimhuis restaurant is open prior to the concert from 6.30 til 8.30PM (reservations via 020-7882158). After the concert, the Bimhuis Café is open (free entrance).