Mulatu Astatke
Vibraphone

Mulatu Astatke

(1943–)

Ethiopia

Mulatu Astatke (b. 1943) — Vibraphone.

From Ethiopia. Composer/arranger/vibraphonist known as the 'Father of Ethio-jazz.' The first African student at Berklee, he fused jazz with Ethiopian traditional music to create a sound entirely his own. Rediscovered globally through the 'Broken Flowers' soundtrack.

Mulatu Astatke, hailed as the father of Ethio-jazz, was the first African student at Berklee College of Music. Seven of his compositions were featured in Jim Jarmusch's 2005 film Broken Flowers, sparking renewed international attention to his catalog.

— Mulatu Astatke, Wikipedia, 2024

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