Composer and multi-instrumentalist Mulatu Astatke will perform at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. Astatke will perform in the Temple of Dendur in the Sackler Wing of the Met.
Performing alongside Astatke will be trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, saxophonist James Arben, keyboardist Jason Lindner, bassist Tal Massiah and drummer Daniel Freedman.
Presented in collaboration with the World Music Institute, the performance will feature the sounds, rhythms, and textures of Ethiopia-the country of Astatke’s birth.
Known for his experimentation and improvisation, Astatke is considered the “father of Ethio-jazz.” After becoming the first African graduate of the Berklee School of Music, Astatke embarked on a career in which he collaborated with some of the most notable names in jazz, including John Coltrane and Duke Ellington. He performed alongside Ellington during his 1973 African tour. In 2016, he released the album Cradle of Humanity, on which he collaborated with the Ethio-jazz band Black Jesus Experience.
Tickets for Astatke’s performance start at $65. For more information, visit metmuseum.org.
