Afro (album)

Afro
Studio album by Dizzy Gillespie
Released	November 1954 (1954-11)
Recorded	May 24 and June 3, 1954 New York City
Genre	Afro-Cuban jazz, bebop
Length	33:05
Label	Norgran MGN 1003
Producer	Norman Granz
Dizzy Gillespie chronology
Diz and Getz (1953) Afro (1954) Dizzy and Strings (1954)

Afro is a studio album by the jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. It was released in November 1954 through Norgran Records. ^[1] Gillespie worked with many Cuban musicians on the album. ^[2]

Reception

The AllMusic review states "Pairing Dizzy Gillespie with Cuban arranger/composer Chico O'Farrill produced a stunning session which originally made up the first half of a Norgran LP... A later small-group session features the trumpeter with an all-Latin rhythm section and flutist Gilberto Valdes... it is well worth acquiring." ^[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[4]

Track listing

1. "Manteca Theme" (Gil Fuller, Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo) - 4:10
2. "Contraste" (Gillespie, Chico O'Farrill, Pozo) - 2:45
3. "Jungla" (Gillespie, O'Farrill, Pozo) - 4:44
4. "Rhumba Finale" (Gillespie, O'Farrill, Pozo) - 4:43
5. "A Night in Tunisia" (Gillespie, Frank Paparelli) - 4:19
6. "Con Alma" (Gillespie) - 5:05
7. "Caravan" (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol) - 7:19

Personnel

• Dizzy Gillespie - trumpet
• Gilbert Valdez - flute (tracks 5-7)
• Quincy Jones, Jimmy Nottingham, Ernie Royal - trumpet (tracks 1-4)
• Leon Comegys, J. J. Johnson, George Matthews - trombone (tracks 1-4)
• George Dorsey, Hilton Jefferson - alto saxophone (tracks 1-4)
• Hank Mobley, Lucky Thompson - tenor saxophone (tracks 1-4)
• Danny Bank - baritone saxophone (tracks 1-4)
• Réne Hernandez (tracks 5-7), Wade Legge (tracks 1-4) - piano
• Lou Hackney (tracks 1-4), Roberto Rodríguez - bass
• Charlie Persip - drums (tracks 1-4)
• Cándido Camero - congas, percussion
• Mongo Santamaria - congas (tracks 1-4)
• José Mangual - bongos
• Ubaldo Nieto - timbales
• Ralph Miranda - percussion (tracks 5-7)
• Chico O'Farrill - arranger (tracks 1-4)

References

1. Littleford, R.S. Jr, ed. (November 27, 1954). "Clef to Issue 4 Successful Albums in EP". The Billboard . Cincinnati: The Billboard Publishing Co. p. 11.
2. Njoroge, Njoroge M. (June 16, 2016). Chocolate Surrealism: Music, Movement, Memory, and History in the Circum-Caribbean. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN   9781496806925 – via Google Books.
3. Dryden, K. Allmusic Review accessed March 28, 2012
4. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 553. ISBN   978-0-141-03401-0.