Mulatu Astatke, vibraphone, percussion, and keyboard
James Arben, musical director, saxophonist, and flute
Adam O’Farrill, trumpet
Jason Lindner, keyboard
Tal Mashiach, bass
Daniel Freedman, drum

Known as the father of Ethiojazz, composer and multiinstrumentalist Mulatu Astatke rose to international fame in the 1970s and 1980s with his unique mix of American jazz and Ethiopian music, drawing comparisons to jazz giants Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. Forced off the road for a time due to the political situation in his homeland, he came roaring back in the 1990s, recording and touring as never before.

Astatke’s music begins and ends with improvisation and is the product of fearless experimentation. Experience the sounds, rhythms, and textures of this pioneer of Ethiopian jazz in The Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing in a performance recorded on September 9, 2016, that "JazzTimes" called “a spirited and entrancing set that spanned his career and spotlighted his gift for shifting fluidly between intricate, sinuous melodies and airy, atmospheric grooves.”

Presented in collaboration with World Music Institute.

Photo by Stephanie Berger.

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