Sunday Swank/ Mulatu Astatke

Mulatu Astatke - Green Africa
Mulatu Steps Ahead
(March 30th, Strut Records)On Mulatu Astatke's first official solo release in over 20 years he explores new directions in the fusion of Western jazz with Ethiopian modes, building on the pioneering sound he developed during the ‘60s and ‘70s. The tracks were recorded with a variety of musicians - members of Either/Orchestra in Boston, traditional Ethiopian musicians in Addis Ababa, members of The Heliocentrics and some of the UK’s leading jazz and African players during the final sessions in London in November 2009. The record comes out March 30th on Strut.

Mulatu Astatke - Yegelle TezetaA Mulatu Astatke tune that gets sampled by Nas & Damien Marley on "As We Enter", a track from their album Distant Relatives which is out later this year.