''The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse'' (subtitled ''A Suite in Eight Parts'') is a studio album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded in 1971 and released on the

Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

label in 1975. Like other world music-influenced suites composed in the last decade of his life, ''The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse'' was called by NPR music critic David Brent Johnson one of Ellington's "late-period masterpieces." The album opens with a short spoken word introduction in which Ellington explains that the suite's title is inspired by Marshall McLuhan's vision of the onset of global cultural identity.

Reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

gave the album four stars out of five, describing it as "compelling, cosmopolitan, and organic ... All in all, a textured, cross-cultural treat for the ears."Yanow, S.

Allmusic Review AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

accessed April 15, 2010

Track listing

:''All compositions by Duke Ellington'' # "Chinoiserie" - 8:13 # "Didjeridoo" - 3:37 # "Afrique" - 5:23 # "Acht O'Clock Rock" - 3:04 # "Gong" - 4:42 # "Tang" - 4:45 # "True" - 3:35 # "Hard Way" - 4:09 Notes: * Recorded at National Recording Studio in New York, NY on February 17, 1971. * Track 1 opens with a short spoken word introduction; "Chinoiserie" begins at 1:36. * Ellington's "Afrique" is not to be confused with the

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...

composition of the same name.

Legacy

The 2001 Duke Ellington tribute album ''

Red Hot + Indigo Red Hot + Indigo is the 13th entry from the Red Hot AIDS benefit series of compilation albums produced by Paul Heck. It marks the tenth anniversary of the Red Hot Organization (RHO), an international organization which uses mass media as a fundra ...

'' includes two compositions from ''The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse'': "Didjeridoo" is performed by the jazz-influenced post-rock band

Tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, and like oth ...

, and "Acht O'Clock Rock" is performed by jazz-fusion trio

Medeski Martin & Wood Medeski Martin & Wood (or MMW) is an American jazz fusion band formed in 1991, consisting of John Medeski on keyboards, Billy Martin on drums, and Chris Wood on bass. The band is influenced by musical traditions including funk and hip hop and ...

, who also covered "Chinoiserie" on their 1995 album '' Friday Afternoon in the Universe'', and have often performed these and other Ellington compositions live.

Personnel

*Duke Ellington –

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

Mercer Ellington Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was Duke Ellington, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death. Biography Early life and education Ellin ...

Money Johnson Harold "Money" Johnson (February 23, 1918 – March 28, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter. Early life Johnson was born in Tyler, Texas, on February 23, 1918. He first played trumpet at age 15. Primarily a trumpeter, he also recorded with the tr ...

, Eddie Preston, Cootie Williams –

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

*Malcolm Taylor,

Booty Wood Mitchell W. Wood, better known as Booty Wood (December 27, 1919 – June 10, 1987) was an American jazz trombonist. Career Wood played professionally on trombone from the late 1930s. He worked with Tiny Bradshaw and Lionel Hampton in the 1940s ...

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

*Chuck Connors – bass trombone *

Russell Procope Russell Keith Procope (August 11, 1908 – January 21, 1981) was an American clarinetist and alto saxophonist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Before Ellington Procope was born in New York City, United States, and grew up in ...

– alto saxophone, clarinet *

Norris Turney Norris Turney (September 8, 1921, Wilmington, Ohio, United States – January 17, 2001, Kettering, Ohio) was an American jazz flautist and saxophonist. Biography Turney began his career in the Midwest, playing in territory bands such as the Jet ...

– clarinet, alto saxophone, flute * Harold Ashby, Paul Gonsalves –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

* Harry Carney – baritone saxophone * Joe Benjamin – bass * Rufus Jones – drums ;Technical *Roger Rhodes - recording engineer *Jim Stern - remix engineer *Phil Carroll - art direction

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Afro-Eurasian Eclipse, The Fantasy Records albums Duke Ellington albums 1971 albums