Mulatu Astatke & Band
Kampnagel International Summer Festival
Godfather of Ethio-Jazz
Mulatu Astatke has written music history: After studying in Europe and the U.S., the Ethiopian musician mixed various Afro- and Latin-American styles with elements of traditional Ethiopian music in Addis Abeba’s vibrant music scene at the end of the 1960s to create a completely independent genre: »Ethio-Jazz« has influenced generations of musicians and appears musically as a soundtrack in Jim Jarmusch films (»Broken Flowers«) as well as sampled in songs by Kanye West or Nas.
Astatke’s first recordings from 1966 with The Ethiopian Quintet were recently reissued on the pioneering U.K. Strut label, and the now 79-year-old musician has immortalized the timeless magic of his globe-spanning compositions on numerous original and ensemble albums in recent years. After an acclaimed concert at Kampnagel 2021, the »Godfather of Ethio-Jazz« now returns to Hamburg with his ensemble to the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie.
Performers
Mulatu Astatke vibraphone
James Arben saxophone
Byron Wallen trumpet
Danny Keane violoncello
Alexander Hawkins piano
John Edwards bass
Richard Ọlátundé Baker percussion
John Scott drums
Festival
Elbphilharmonie Summer