The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse

Artist: Duke Ellington
Label: Ojc
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio Cassette

UPC: 025218664547
EAN: 0025218664547
ASIN: B000000YUP

Release Date: 1991-10-28

Related Categories:

General

| Jazz | Styles | Music

Swing General

| Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band

| Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Contemporary Big Band

| Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Chinoiserie
Didjeridoo
Afrique
Ocht O'Clock Rock
Gong
Tang
True
Hard Way

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Customer Reviews:

One of Ellington's best--elegance and excellence in innovation.......2006-06-19

The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse is a groundbreaking suite, full of intriguing new sounds and grooves. Ellington didn't fade into predictability and mundanity in his last years; instead, his compositions became more and more original and exciting. This suite has rocking, swinging, waltzing grooves that, though seemingly disparate, work together and illustrate the theme stated in the Duke's spoken introduction to the suite: to show that "the whole world is going Oriental, and that no one will be able to retain his or her identity... not even the Orientals." Duke doesn't leave his standbys behind, though. The phenomenal playing of Ashby, Carney, Jones, and the rest of the Orchestra keeps The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse firmly rooted in virtuosity, even when playing to new grooves, melded with African, Asian, and Australian rhythm and sound.

On a personal note, this is one of my favorite CDs. Aside from the remarkable music, it gets bonus points for the spoken introduction, at the beginning of the "Chinoiserie" track. Audio notes give the listener a greater understanding of the CD, especially one with a single focus, like this one.

Duke's World Music.......2005-11-16

One of the last of the suites that Duke wrote (only THE GOUTELAS SUITE was recorded later - by two months), rather than concentrating on a specific area of the world as in the past (NEW ORLEANS SUITE, LATIN AMERICAN SUITE), here he looks at a much bigger part of the world for his influences. African, Asian, even Australian elements are part of this suite.

Some highlights: the opening piece, CHINOISERIE, is a very ambitious composition, with an excellent solo by Harold Ashby on tenor. ACHT O'CLOCK ROCK, a tune that was played by itself in concerts, is a 16-bar blues - Duke's answer to r & r music. TRUE, is a waltz combined with gospel rudiments, with a heart-felt solo by Paul Gonsalves. A few of the pieces do not amount to much (DIDJERIDOO, AFRIQUE) and sound repetitive, but the ECLIPSE is a successful work for Duke and the orchestra.

This man was crazy, in a good way.......2005-05-03

Listen to this and then realize, this man was in his late 60's when he wrote this. This music is heavy, hard, demanding and in some way revolutionary. In a musical world where many artist's tend to get soft, predictable, and start getting "adult contemporary" in the middle age years, Ellington never did. He pushed on, the fact they he could do a suite like this, about his travels, without adding world instruments, and still sounding like Ellingtonia is something of wonder. Harry Carney, Ellington's Baritone for about 40 years, gets a spotlight on part of the album. Harry was a loyal friend to Duke, and a very important part to his big band sound. Essential

Eclecticism In The Final Phase.......2003-11-26

At this point Duke Ellington was jazz's oldest survivor but he himself didn't feel like it-still insisting his best numbers
were "the ones coming up tomorrow".Well here tomorrow arrived and
the influence of African and Oriental styles and rhythms are integrated into this eight-part suite-Duke's shinning moment!
The opening "Chinoserie" is perhapes best of all-an extended piece that blends Ellington's usual big-band swing approch with
a very carnavalesqe avante-garde rhythm similar to "The Creator
has A Master Plan"."Didjidoo",based on Duke's experience with the
native Aberiginal people of Austrailia is (in retrospect) quite
funky with it's use of polyrhythms and scaling horns.Most delightful though is "Acht O' Clock Rock"-basically a simple 3-chord extention of Louis Jordon/Little Richard-style rock n' roll
done up big band style.So pretty much he brings many of the more
popular musical styles of the early 70's-afro jazz,funk and rock
into his world of Ellingtonia and much good spirits will be felt
by all!The last half of the suite doesn't cover any different ground then the first but is still a fine extention on a wonderful theme.A true testement to a man who I feel is the most
significant composer and performer of the 20'th century AND his
unique ability to update his music to fit the sound of the time
period in whitch he composed-never alienating anyone along the way.Mabye Ellingtons most important work and certainly the
most significant of his latter years.

The best of The Duke.......2002-09-22

Now, after hearing hundreds of records by the late, great Duke, this must be the finest.
I was brought to the attention to this music by a great friend of mine, Christian Fäh, wherefore I was skeptical.
Nonetheless, the moment I put on this record, I was spellbound, fascinated, gone out of my mind.
I don't know what to call this music(being a musician myself) but that does not mean anything. The Eclipse is a bunch of songs which will have you singing and dancing like you never knew.
Put this record on and realize that modern music started with the Duke: it's one hell of an experience and you'll be renewed by the result. Anyone with a little bit of style should know this record. Enjoy!

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