Mulatu Astatke was born in southwest Ethiopia in 1943, to a wealthy family. He studied music in London and New York before returning to Addis Ababa in the late 60s. He was fond of jazz and Latin American music, and he blended both with traditional Ethiopian music.
Yegelle Tezeta (My Own Memory) is taken from the fourth album in the Ethiopiques series, Ethio-jazz & Musique Instrumentale 1969-1974. It is a non-stop groove. The horns kick it off for the first two seconds, then disappear as an organ plays along with the drum and bass. A sax comes in at 1:22 and plays for awhile against the locked-in rhythm. Finally, the horns rip back in at 2:20 and keep up the intensity until the end.
He's playing in France on July 18, sharing a bill with Jeff Beck. So, if you'll be in France next month, be sure to check him out.
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