Duke Ellington composed the suite The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse inspired by a lecture from anthropologist Marshall McLuhan on global cultural interconnection. The work premiered in 1971 at the Monterey Jazz Festival.
The album was recorded in studio in New York during 1971, but was not released until 1975 by Fantasy Records, after Ellington's death in 1974. It includes pieces reflecting musical influences from Africa, Asia, and Europe.
The suite consists of four movements exploring non-Western rhythms and scales, blending them with Ellington's characteristic orchestral jazz. It is considered one of his last major conceptual works.