Afro-Classic is an album by flautist Hubert Laws released on the CTI label featuring performances of popular and classical music by Laws recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in 1970.[1]
| Afro-Classic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1970 | |||
| Recorded | December 1 & 11, 1970 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ | |||
| Genre | Jazz, third stream | |||
| Length | 37:29 | |||
| Label | CTI | |||
| Producer | Creed Taylor | |||
| Hubert Laws chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
editThe AllMusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 5 stars stating "Afro-Classic is a classic for the manner in which Laws, with brilliant assistance from arranger Don Sebesky, melded the jazz and classical worlds — not to mention pop — into a seamless whole," aptly describing "[t]he liberties taken with the Passacaglia" as "revolutionary" rendering the "stunning" number "no longer simply a classical tune" but one which "begins to swing with Latin, blues, and jazz undertones. When Laws finally takes his solo, the tune simply grooves its way through to the end — with subtle sound effects that Brian Eno would be envious of because he hadn't thought of them yet."[2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |  [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [3] |
Track listing
edit- "Fire and Rain" (James Taylor) - 7:58
- "Allegro from Concerto No. 3 in D" (Johann Sebastian Bach) - 3:47
- "Theme from Love Story" (Francis Lai) - 7:32
- "Passacaglia in C Minor" (Johann Sebastian Bach) - 15:14
- "Flute Sonata in F" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) - 3:17
Personnel
edit- Hubert Laws - flute (on "Passacaglia", electric flute)
- Bob James - electric piano
- Gene Bertoncini - guitar
- Ron Carter - bass (on "Passacaglia", electric cello solo)
- Fred Waits - drums
- Dave Friedman - vibraphone (on "Fire and Rain", vibes with fuzz pedal)
- Richie "Pablo" Landrum, Airto Moreira - percussion
- Fred Alston, Jr. - bassoon
- Don Sebesky - arranger
References
edit- ^ CTI discography accessed February 6, 2012
- ^ a b Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed November 18, 2018
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 871. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.