An ultra-rare 1974 Ethiopian jazz-groove LP gets a reissue, featuring MULATU ASTATKE — a name that top labels like SOUNDWAY, STONES THROW, MOCHILLA and STRUT have all had their eyes on, and one that turns up without fail on any compilation covering Ethiopia and its neighbors — alongside FEKADE MADE MASKAL on tenor sax. A dazzling, lustrous gem that blends the distinctive scalar balance of Ethiopia, which nurtured its own strain of jazz, with exotica/mondo touches and a tough, funky groove. This mutant strain of jazz, unlike anything Afro or Latin, is simply sublime. Don't miss it.