# Mulatu Astatke — Every Record We Rank

Mulatu Astatke appears 3 times in our Ethio-Jazz list, placing as high as No. 1. Hand-curated, with a reason for every pick.

- **Ranked entries:** 3
- **Appears on:** Ethio-Jazz
- **Years:** 1969–1972
- **Highest placing:** No. 1 in Ethio-Jazz
- **Updated:** 2026-08-30
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/artist/mulatu-astatke/

## Appears on

### [Yèkèrmo Sèw](https://waxonia.com/track/mulatu-astatke--yekermo-sew/)

*1969 · Amha · No. 1 in [Ethio-Jazz](https://waxonia.com/genre/ethio-jazz/)*

A vibraphone, a fuzz guitar and a mode that refuses to resolve. Jim Jarmusch later used it in Broken Flowers and introduced the whole tradition to a generation who had never heard of Addis.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Mulatu%20Astatke%20Y%C3%A8k%C3%A8rmo%20S%C3%A8w) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=2qIJv6XGejc)

### [Tezeta](https://waxonia.com/track/mulatu-astatke--tezeta/)

*1972 · Amha · No. 3 in [Ethio-Jazz](https://waxonia.com/genre/ethio-jazz/)*

Tezeta is both a mode and a word for nostalgia, which tells you how the two are related here. The most purely beautiful thing in the Ethiopiques series.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Mulatu%20Astatke%20Tezeta) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=te9CHZCKWkU)

### [Yègellé Tezeta](https://waxonia.com/track/mulatu-astatke--yegelle-tezeta/)

*1969 · Amha · No. 4 in [Ethio-Jazz](https://waxonia.com/genre/ethio-jazz/)*

The organ line is the hook and the bass never settles. Astatke's own tezeta, and the one most often lifted by hip-hop producers who found the reissues.

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Mulatu%20Astatke%20Y%C3%A8gell%C3%A9%20Tezeta) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=TDfadvkNfIg)

---

Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.