The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse

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The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse.jpg
Studio album by
Duke Ellington
Released1975
RecordedFebruary 17, 1971
StudioNational Recording Studios, New York City
Genre Jazz
Length37:33
Label Fantasy
Producer Mercer Ellington
Duke Ellington chronology
The Intimate Ellington
(1971)		The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
(1975)		 The Intimate Ellington
(1969-71)

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 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." [1]

Contents

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. [1]

Reception

Allmusic 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." [2]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]

Track listing

All compositions by Duke Ellington
  1. "Chinoiserie" - 8:13
  2. "Didjeridoo" - 3:37
  3. "Afrique" - 5:23
  4. "Acht O'Clock Rock" - 3:04
  5. "Gong" - 4:42
  6. "Tang" - 4:45
  7. "True" - 3:35
  8. "Hard Way" - 4:09

Notes:

Legacy

The 2001 Duke Ellington tribute album Red Hot + Indigo includes two compositions from The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse: "Didjeridoo" is performed by the jazz-influenced post-rock band Tortoise, and "Acht O'Clock Rock" is performed by jazz-fusion trio Medeski Martin & Wood, who also covered "Chinoiserie" on their 1995 album Friday Afternoon in the Universe , and have often performed these and other Ellington compositions live.

Personnel

Technical

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References

  1. 1 2 Johnson, David Brent (23 May 2013). "Duke Ellington: Highlights Of His Twilight". NPR Music: A Blog Supreme. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 Yanow, S. Allmusic Review accessed April 15, 2010
  3. ↑ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 69. ISBN   0-394-72643-X.
  4. ↑ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 439. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.
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