Afro-Classic

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.

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."

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings

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