- The phrase “Ethio-jazz” is one occasionally used by music journalists. But when it comes to describing the music of that East African country, the term is about as specific as if a Western writer might refer to “20th century Ethiopian Emperors”, or “world religions which have turned the colours of the Ethiopian flag into a fashion statement”. Ethio-jazz, generally, means the creative muse of legendary arranger and vibraphone player Mulatu Astatke.

At 76 years old, Mulatu is still releasing new music, and To Know Without Knowing is his second album with Melbourne musical collective The Black Jesus Experience. Collaborations with Western artists over the last decade or so have helped turn Mulatu Astatke into a globally recognised musical name. This one doesn’t have quite the same experimental edge as the classic album with London jazz trio Heliocentrics which helped begin that process back in 2009, but it is an intriguing mix of cultures and musical styles.

As well as Mulatu’s experiments making jazz in unique Ethiopian scales, the Black Jesus Experience bring to the table a more traditional jazz-funk. This is combined with the Ethiopian wedding band folk music of singer Enushu Taye, and the hip hop influence of Zimbabwean-Australian MC Mr Monk plus a couple of guests.

The result is an eclectic mix that fits together, but does sound like a genuine attempt to combine musical traditions. Songs range from the light funk of Lijay, to the contemplative jazz of the title track and the epic minor key vamp Living On Stolen Land.

When Ghanaian-Australian rapper and singer Vida Sunshyne sings “ain’t it grand, living on stolen land, or when Elf Tranzporter of Combat Wombat shouts out the Wurundjeri nation on opener Mulatu, it brings out another cross-cultural element - that of the experience of dispossession and discrimination that is implicit in the history of jazz, funk and hip hop. It’s that spiritual commonality as much as musical similarities that enabled Mulatu Astatke to first fuse the mournful sounds of traditional Ethiopian music with American jazz nearly half a century ago; and it still drives this collaboration across musical styles, generations and national borders.

So what exactly is Ethio-jazz? At times this album sounds like a conscious attempt to combine two distinct styles of music, but really the thing that links a group of Melbourne jazz musos and rappers to the land of the Abyssinian Empire is one man and his endless quest of musical exploration. To Know Without Knowing is the sound of Mulatu Astatke still innovating, still collaborating, and still forging his own unique musical path.

- Andy Paine.