Mulatu Astatke – Live in Athens

August 31, 2025

Don’t miss the final chance to experience a true legend on stage!

Mulatu Astatke, the pioneering father of Ethio Jazz, is coming to Athens on 25 September 2025 at the Vrahon Theatre.

Get ready for a unique musical journey that bridges Africa and Jazz!

During the “Swinging Addis” era of the late 1960s and 1970s. He is the legendary creator of the genre now known as Ethio Jazz.

Beyond leading his own ensembles, Astatke arranged music for many of Ethiopia’s top artists of the time, including Mahmoud Ahmed, Getatchew Mekurya, and Tilahun Gessesse. His innovations, however, often met resistance from traditionalists. He introduced instruments like the vibraphone, electric keyboards, congas, and bongos to create Latin-inspired rhythms. Perhaps most controversially, he adapted traditional Ethiopian instruments—krar (lyre), masenqo (single-string fiddle), and washint (flute)—to play his new jazz fusion.

By the mid-2010s, Mulatu had brought Ethio Jazz to audiences on every continent through his tours, gaining new fans of all ages. During this period, he frequently collaborated with the Australian band Black Jesus Experience on the album Cradle Of Humanity, appeared on the soul/jazz collective Nubiyan Twist’s Freedom Fables, and recorded with the Hoodna Orchestra in 2024.

The year 2024 marked another high point in Mulatu’s career, with a summer U.S. tour that included a performance at the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival, curated by Kamasi Washington, as well as major shows in San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C.

In 2025, the father of Ethio Jazz embarks on a major international farewell tour and will release a new studio album titled Mulatu Plays Mulatu on the Strut label. Recorded at London’s RAK Studios and at the Jazz Village club in Addis Ababa, the album features Mulatu’s full big band alongside traditional Ethiopian musicians—a fitting finale to an extraordinary career.

“Throughout my life, I wanted to bring Ethio Jazz to every corner of the world for people to enjoy it, and I feel I’ve done that,” says Mulatu. Music lovers around the globe certainly share that sentiment.