Main Stage - Live at Africa.cont, Lisbon Council, Lisbon

Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics

Ethio-Jazz, Strut, Ethiopia

Mulatu Astatke was born in Ethiopia in 1943. He is an innovative multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and the originator of a form of music he calls Ethio-Jazz. Mulatu studied at Trinity College of Music in England and Berklee College of Music in Boston where he was Berklee's first African graduate. As a vibraphone, conga and percussion player, Astatke has performed at numerous concerts in Ethiopia and abroad, including appearances at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, Lincoln Center in New York, Beethoven-Haus in Bonn and Barbican Center in London. Mulatu Astatke also performed as a guest artist with the Duke Ellington orchestra during its visit to Ethiopia in 1971. Most recently, Mulatu's music was used prominently in the soundtrack of the film Broken Flowers. Here is the sorcerer conjuring his magic live at Africa.cont, together with London's congenial Heliocentrics band.