Afro is a studio album by the jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. It was released in November 1954 through Norgran Records.[1] Gillespie worked with many Cuban musicians on the album.[2]

Afro
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1954 (1954-11)
RecordedMay 24 and June 3, 1954
New York City
GenreAfro-Cuban jazz, bebop
Length33:05
LabelNorgran
MGN 1003
ProducerNorman Granz
Dizzy Gillespie chronology
Diz and Getz
(1953)
Afro
(1954)
Dizzy and Strings
(1954)

Reception

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The AllMusic review states "Pairing Dizzy Gillespie with Cuban arranger/composer Chico O'Farrill produced a stunning session which originally made up the first half of a Norgran LP... A later small-group session features the trumpeter with an all-Latin rhythm section and flutist Gilberto Valdes... it is well worth acquiring."[3]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings    [4]

Track listing

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  1. "Manteca Theme" (Gil Fuller, Dizzy Gillespie, Chano Pozo) - 4:10
  2. "Contraste" (Gillespie, Chico O'Farrill, Pozo) - 2:45
  3. "Jungla" (Gillespie, O'Farrill, Pozo) - 4:44
  4. "Rhumba Finale" (Gillespie, O'Farrill, Pozo) - 4:43
  5. "A Night in Tunisia" (Gillespie, Frank Paparelli) - 4:19
  6. "Con Alma" (Gillespie) - 5:05
  7. "Caravan" (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol) - 7:19

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ Littleford, R.S. Jr, ed. (November 27, 1954). "Clef to Issue 4 Successful Albums in EP". The Billboard. Cincinnati: The Billboard Publishing Co. p. 11.
  2. ^ Njoroge, Njoroge M. (June 16, 2016). Chocolate Surrealism: Music, Movement, Memory, and History in the Circum-Caribbean. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496806925 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b Dryden, K. Allmusic Review accessed March 28, 2012
  4. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 553. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.