Directions in Groove

Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Inspiration Information (2009) {Strut STRUT040CD}
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© 2009 Strut | STRUT040CD
Jazz / Ethio Jazz / Post Bop / World Fusion / Afro Beat / Afro-Cuban Jazz / Vibes / Piano

The third in Strut’s Inspiration Information studio collaboration series brings together an intriguing pairing between one of Africa’s great bandleaders, Mulatu Astatke, with the next level musicianship of The Heliocentrics collective from the mighty roster of Stones Throw / Now Again. Known primarily through the successful ‘Ethiopiques’ album series and the film soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Broken Flowers’, Mulatu Astatke is one of Ethiopia’s foremost musical ambassadors. Informed by spells living and studying in the UK and the USA, his self-styled Ethio-jazz sound flourished during the “Swinging Addis” era of the late ‘60s as he successfully fused Western jazz and funk with traditional Ethiopian folk melodies, five tone scale arrangements and elements from music of the ancient Coptic church.

Arguably the most radical album of their career to date, Nell' Ora Blu stands out like a blood-soaked beacon in the sterile desert of rock 'n' roll in 2024. What this dazzling detour tells us about the future of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats remains a mystery, but after such a rich and fruitful artistic indulgence, Starr's reputation as one of heavy music's most distinctive voices can only grow. An eccentric tour-de-force, Nell' Ora Blu is the band's magnum opus. You will have nightmares. Trust no one. Watch your back. Let the blood flow…

Arguably the most radical album of their career to date, Nell' Ora Blu stands out like a blood-soaked beacon in the sterile desert of rock 'n' roll in 2024. What this dazzling detour tells us about the future of Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats remains a mystery, but after such a rich and fruitful artistic indulgence, Starr's reputation as one of heavy music's most distinctive voices can only grow. An eccentric tour-de-force, Nell' Ora Blu is the band's magnum opus. You will have nightmares. Trust no one. Watch your back. Let the blood flow…

On 10 October 2001 the Esbjörn Svensson Trio e.s.t. played a concert at Gothenburg Concert Hall in Sweden. Thereafter, Svensson would always refer to it as one of the very best that the trio ever played. The recording of that performance is now appearing for the first time as the album "e.s.t live in Gothenburg", and it was indeed, as Svensson described it, one of those very fortunate moments. Everything just flows naturally, the energies of the musicians and the listeners inspire each other, boundaries between composition and improvisation become blurred, melodies follow through seamlessly from the tunes and into the solos. At this point in its development, e.s.t. as a band has coalesced and found a genuine sense of unity. The tunes serve as mere starting points for the musicians to head off without any fixed ideas as to where they will end up. What is clear is that each of them is fully enjoying every step of the journey.