Afro-Bossa

Duke Ellington | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 15, 2005)
• Original Release Date: March 15, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collectables
• ASIN: B0007CYEA8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,353 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Afro-Bossa

2. Purple Gazelle

3. Absinthe

4. Moonbow

5. Sempre Amore

6. Silk Lace

7. Tigress

8. Angu

9. Volupte

10. Bonga

11. Eighth Veil

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sweet treat for your ears, May 28, 2005

By 

G. Wallace (Hilliard, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Afro-Bossa (Audio CD)

I've been wanting to hear "Afro Bossa" since I read about it in an Ellington biography. All other references had been positive so I ordered it a couple months before it was released; it finally arrived after one postponement and on first listen seemed "loungy." OK, maybe I'm missing something so I listened again to pick out a few favorites, remembering an interesting fiddle tune and one of those lovely Strayhorn minor key things. OK, so there's definitely some keepers. The third listen and I'm completely transported by this record, best I've heard in a long while. It's like a number of other memorable Ellington listening experiences where you want to go back and hear it again and again. A great band, short and consistently interesting arrangements with that wild whatever it is that makes Ellington so fine. I'll agree with an earlier reviewer that Ray Nance and Jimmy Hamilton are a bit more to the fore in these "exotic" compositions. But it's really about the compositions and arrangements. Plenty of goosepimple moments, particularly Strayhorn's grand entrances on "Absinthe." Treat yourself!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Ellington 60s band, good compositions, April 1, 2005

By 

Andrew R. Weiss "Raleigh Observer" (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Afro-Bossa (Audio CD)

This is the first album Ellington made for Reprise records. Reprise made a big deal of creating a separate production unit for Ellington and giving him full artistic control. Ellington had also made changes to his orchestra, the most important being the return of Cootie Williams, which gave him a trumpet section featuring Williams, Ray Nance, and Cat Anderson, and the other being the addition of Ernie Shephard on bass. The arrangement with Reprise and the new personnel must have agreed with him, because he came up with an entire album of new material, based on the "theme" of afro-bossa-nova rhythm. Ellington had just left Columbia records, and his last albums for Columbia were not especially inspired. This one is. It starts with a rollicking "Afro Bossa", which Ellington dubbed the "Gut-Bucket Bolero", and continues with a highly varied series of selections reminiscent in range and quality to "Such Sweet Thunder". Solos are great throughout, especially Nance, who seems more inspired by Williams' presence, Lawrence Brown, Williams, and (of course) Hodges and Gonsalves. Cat Anderson does a nice turn of high-note trumpet work on the last cut. All in all, a fine album. It got 5 stars from DownBeat magazine when it first came out, and it's well worthy of all of them. It's a shame that this isn't more easily available.

(This review is based on the original LP, not the reissued CD)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great 60's Latin/World Jazz Suite, August 9, 2008

By 

Scott Williams "sneakyneighborsdog" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Afro-Bossa (Audio CD)

Overview:
Afro Bossa is a rich, textured, mood drenched, jazz suite. The inspiration of the suite is Latin, African, and Brazilian music. Even though the title has the word "Bossa" in it, I would not really call this a Bossa Nova CD. On the whole, it is significantly different from something by Antonio Carlos Jobim. It is a Duke Ellington suite first, and a World/Latin/ Brazilian jazz CD second. The album is full of beautifully crafted songs from start to finish. There isn't a bad song on the album. While most critics would argue that Ellington's best days were in the 1930's and 1940's, my favorite era is hands down the 1960's. This album is another gem from this era. In the 60's Ellington partnered with all sorts of artists (J. Coltrane, L. Armstrong, M. Roach, C. Mingus, C. Bassie, C. Hawkings to name a few), and toured the world. All of this input and stimuli lead to his most creative and adventurous work. The album features a great lineup of Ellingtonian stars including (Ray Nance, Harry Carney, Ray Nance, and Cootie Williams).

Song Highlights:
Purple Gazelle - Opens with a classic Ellington piano riff. Instantly accessible, insanely catchy. Features a Cootie Williams plunger muted solo.

Sempre Amore - This features the violin play of Ray Nance. It reminds one of Django Reinhardt and Stephanne Grappelli. There is both bowing, and plucking of the violin string which is layered above the top of a tropical percussion section.

Volupte - This song is a bossa nova song. It has the classic bossa nova beat, and opens which some dreamy piano. A seductive bass line permeates throughout the song. This song definitely reminds one of Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Bonga - This song is a fast past adventure with brilliant integrated horn lines and a touch of piano. It is amazing how Ellington can combine 3 or 4 different lines into a beautiful tapestry of sound. It's the perfect backdrop for many blazing solos.

This is one of Ellington's greatest albums.