THE BEAUTY OF MUSIC FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES

Mulatu Astatke: Ebo Lala
From New York, Addis, London: The Story Of Ethio Jazz 1965 To 1975 (Strut, 2009)

From Afro-Latin to jazzier rhythms, Mulatu Astatke has been there, done that. A celebrated figure to his native Ethiopia and to record diggers the world over, he has been a crucial figure to world music and jazz alike.

The importance of this collection cannot be overstated. Much of this music hasn't been heard by the masses simply because it never had great distribution. Fortunately Strut has compiled this set for the rest of us to catch up.

My first introduction to Ethiopian music came only within the last 5 years. I was in a wedding for a friend from college who was marrying a girl whose family was originally from Ethiopia. He had told me that her family was having the DJ play some of their native music throughout different parts of the reception. I was intrigued because I had never heard any of this music and my curiosity was piqued. Now, of course, the DJ in me thought, “This could flat out kill the dancefloor.” Having DJ'd a few receptions in my lifetime, I've seen when the family wanted something out of the norm and the dancefloor either never quite recovered or never even started. This night proved to be much different; so color me all shades of wrong.

The global grooves actually ended up not only complementing, but enhancing the night's festivities. There were ceremonial danceoffs between various family members and close friends, not in a battle sense but in an expressive, joyful one. Before you knew it, everyone else was joining in, too. What I noticed even more was how it all fit together. The music transcended. There was a pride to not only the musicians playing the music but in the family listening to it. There was a cultural significance to it all – something that 9 times out of 10 we miss out on here in America in our Bentleys and boomboxes society. We're listening loud but hearing nothing.