Mulatu Astatke shares new single ‘Kulun’

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Following his recent release with Hoodna Orchestra, Tel Aviv’s number one Afro funk collective, Ethiopian musician and arranger Mulatu Astatke, known as the “father of Ethio-jazz,” is set to release his new album, Mulatu Plays Mulatu, on September 26th via Strut, his first major studio album in over ten years. Taken from the album, Mulatu has just released “Kulun,” the second single, which is a new take on a traditional Ethiopian wedding song. The track was recorded between London and Addis Ababa with his UK band and at his Jazz Village club in Addis.

Mulatu Plays Mulatu features new arrangements of his classic compositions and revisits the sounds that helped define the “Swinging Addis” era of the late ’60s and early ’70s. This period was marked by a booming and progressive nightlife scene in Addis Ababa, which provided a fertile ground for new musical directions. It was during this era that Astatke named his unique musical fusion “Ethio-jazz”, incorporating new elements like the vibraphone, electric keyboards, effects pedals, and Latin rhythms using congas and bongos. He also repurposed traditional Ethiopian instruments such as the krar (lyre), masenqo (one-string fiddle), and washint (flute) to fit his new blend of jazz.

Dexter Story produced the album, and it features contemporary LA-based artists Carlos Niño and Kibrom Birhane. Mulatu Plays Mulatu is being released as part of a major farewell international tour in 2025, which Astatke describes as the culmination of his mission to “bring Ethio jazz to all corners of the world”.

‘Mulatu Plays Mulatu’ will be accompanied by a series of European tour dates throughout September, with further dates to be added.

Tour dates

7^th Sept – Centrum Kultury Zamek, Poznan, Poland

8^th Sept – Palladium, Warsaw, Poland

9^th Sept – Huxley’s Berlin, Germany

11^th Sept – Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, Germany

12^th Sept – Konzerthaus, Dortmund, Germany

15^th Sept – Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands

17^th Sept – Doornroosje, Nijmegen, Netherlands

18^th Sept – Annabel, Rotterdam, Netherlands

21^st Sept – Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium

23^rd Sept – Salle Pleyel, Paris, France

25^th Sept – Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Athens, Greece

28^th Sept – Citta del Teatro, Cascina, Italy

5^th Nov – Cosmopolite, Oslo, Norway

16^th Nov – Royal Festival Hall, London, UK

17^th Nov – HERE at Ouernet, London, UK

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