Mulatu Astatke is by all accounts the father of Ethio-Jazz, and Mulatu of Ethiopia is the album on which his signature style first came together. While his first albums consisted in pleasant but conventional Latin jazz, the 1972 Mulatu of Ethiopia (reissued in 2017 by Strut) is based on traditional Ethiopian harmonies and scales, but with western and Latin instruments (like the conga drums and trademark vibraphone) replacing traditional azmari ones. Astatke also organically blended different styles, with Blaxploitation-esque funk,  Afro Cuban rhythms,  eerie atmospheres, shrieking sax and the delicate washint flute combining to create a sound unlike any other, and one that has become the foundation of contemporary Ethiopian popular music