Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Afro Latin Soul, Vols. 1 & 2 (2018)

The venerable Ethio-Jazz composer turned his hand to Afro-Latin fusion in 1966, resulting the perfect balance of slinky sensuality from both ends of that spectrum in ‘Afro Latin Soul (Vols. 1 & 2)’. Seriously, if you aren’t taken by the swinging mix of Elephant calls, sizzling claves and call ’n response vox in ‘I Faram Gami I Faram’, the swingeing drums on ‘Soul Power’, or the suave hustle of ‘The Panther (Boogaloo)’ and ’Girl From Addis Ababa’, we can't help you!!!

“Strut continue their essential work with the “Godfather Of Ethio Jazz”, Mulatu Astatke, with the first official reissues of his early classics ‘Afro Latin Soul’ Volumes 1 and 2 from 1966, recorded as The Ethiopian Quintet.

Arriving after Astatke’s life-changing years studying at Berklee College in Boston, the albums were the first experiments in his pioneering sound, fusing Ethiopian cultural music with Afro Latin and jazz forms. “I have always felt a deep connection between Latin and African music,” he explains. “I travelled to Cuba and listened to their musicians; the tempo, rhythm and feeling was very similar to different African forms. In the mid-‘60s, I formed a band called The Ethiopian Quintet in New York comprising Ethiopian, Latin and Afro-American musicians - the band included trumpeter and pianist Rudy Houston who later played with Yambu and Felix Torres who played with La Sonora Poncena.” Supported by Worthy Records’ Gil Snapper who offered to record the quintet,

Astatke began to experiment during two separate sessions: “We created a different feel and different arrangements. On the first recording, I played an adaptation of an ancient Ethiopian warrior song, ‘I Faram Gami I Faram’ - the lyrics were translated so that the singer could sing it in Spanish. Some compositions were important steps for me: ‘Mascaram Setaba’ (‘Summer Is Coming’) ‘Shagu’ and ‘Almaz’. With the second album, a personal favourite is ‘Girl From Addis Ababa’ which worked very nicely as a fusion of Ethiopian modes and R&B rhythms.” Astatke would start to perfect his Ethio jazz sound on his later album for Worthy

in 1972, ‘Mulatu Of Ethiopia’ (STRUT129) but the two volumes of ‘Afro Latin Soul’ stand as important recordings documenting his early career. “It was a very interesting time to be in New York during the mid-‘60s. I was there at the same time as Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba and Fela Kuti and we each tried to play our part in putting Africa on the map of contemporary jazz.”

‘Afro Latin Soul’ Volumes 1 and 2 come in their full original artwork and are painstakingly remastered by The Carvery. All formats feature personal liner notes by Mulatu Astatke.”

Tracklist:
01. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - I Faram Gami I Faram
02. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Mascaram Setaba
03. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Shagu
04. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - One For Buzayhew
05. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Alone In The Crowd
06. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Almaz
07. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Mulatu's Hideaway
08. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Askum
09. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - A Kiss Before Dawn
10. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Playboy Cha Cha
11. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - The Panther (Boogaloo)
12. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Konjit (Pretty)
13. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Soul Power
14. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Lover's Mambo
15. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Love Mood For Two
16. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Jijiger
17. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Girl From Addis Ababa
18. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Karayu
19. Mulatu Astatke & His Ethiopian Quintet - Raina