Mulatu Plays Mulatu

Album Notes & Community Reviews

On 'Mulatu Plays Mulatu', the celebrated father of Ethio-jazz revisits and reimagines key compositions from his extensive career, offering his first major studio album in over a decade. Recorded in both London and Addis Ababa with his long-standing touring band and local Ethiopian musicians, the album intricately balances Western big band jazz arrangements with the distinct timbres of traditional instruments like the masenqo, krar, and begena. The project, co-produced by Dexter Story, results in masterful new interpretations of his classic works, characterized by expanded improvisations, richer harmonic textures, and a deepened rhythmic complexity that bridges his foundational sound with a contemporary feel.