Issued in 1971 as his second album for
Creed Taylor's
CTI label,
Hubert Laws'
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.
Laws was the first artist signed to
Taylor's imprint. His debut for the label,
Crying Song, won critical notice, but it was
Afro-Classic that established a new role for the flute in
contemporary jazz.
Herbie Mann may have been the first, but
Laws explored
jazz and all the sound worlds that informed it -- especially in the electric domain -- with the kind of grace and innovative vision that made him a mainstay.
Sebesky was deeply enamored of
Laws'
classical training, and his ability to swing -- check out his playing on
Quincy Jones'
"Killer Joe" for early evidence. The players assembled for the session included
Bob James (himself classically trained and a graduate of the University of Michigan's music school) on electric piano, bassist
Ron Carter, guitarist
Gene Bertoncini, drummer
Fred Waits, vibraphonist
David Friedman, bassoonist
Fred Alston, Jr., and percussionists
Airto Moreira and
Pablo Landrum. The program included
James Taylor's hit
"Fire and Rain," "Theme from Love Story" by
Francis Lai, a pair of
Bach pieces, including the stunning
Passacaglia in C Minor, and
Mozart's
Flute Sonata in F. While the gentle version of
"Fire and Rain" proves moving and subtle, and engages the ensemble as a
chamber jazz group, it is with
Bach's
Allegro from Concerto No. 3 in D that the true revelation takes place.
Sebesky arranges in a painterly manner, illustrating the tune with bassoon and vibes with
Laws' flute floating through the melody. This is a
chamber reading for the piece that not only maintains its integrity but showcases a different side that is revelatory. The liberties taken with
the Passacaglia, however, are revolutionary, beginning with
Carter's bass, slowly and purposefully illustrating the theme as
James' Fender Rhodes enters in double "p." When
Laws enters with the haunting, mournful melody, he does so with
Bertoncini's guitar playing in muted tones followed by the electrified vibes of
Friedman and then
Alston's bassoon. Near the three-minute mark,
Sebesky opens the arrangement for a vibes solo underscored by guitar and Rhodes, and at the five-minute mark the theme is restated. But it is no longer simply a
classical tune; it 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. It's stunning. The
Mozart piece is pretty, but compared to what preceded it, it feels just a tad quaint. This album has been reissued on CD in Japan and from
Mosaic Records, and in both cases its sound is warm and immediate. ~ Thom Jurek
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