Afro-Classic
Studio album by Hubert Laws
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
Crying Song (1969) Afro-Classic (1970) The Rite of Spring (1971)

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]

Reception

The 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]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[3]

Track listing

1. " Fire and Rain" ( James Taylor) - 7:58
2. " Allegro from Concerto No. 3 in D" ( Johann Sebastian Bach) - 3:47
3. " Theme from Love Story" ( Francis Lai) - 7:32
4. " Passacaglia in C Minor" ( Johann Sebastian Bach) - 15:14
5. " Flute Sonata in F" ( Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) - 3:17

Personnel

• 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