Axum (album)
{{Infobox album|
| name = Axum
| type = Album
| artist = James Newton
| cover = Axum (album).jpg
| alt =
| released = 1982
| recorded = August 1981
| venue =
| studio = Tonstudio Bauer
Ludwigsburg, W. Germany
| genre = Jazz
| length = 42:32
| label = ECM
ECM 1214
| producer = Manfred Eicher
| chronology = James Newton
| prev_title = The Mystery School
| prev_year = 1979
| next_title = Portraits
| next_year = 1982
}}
Axum is a solo album by American jazz flautist and composer James Newton recorded in 1981 and released on ECM the following year.[http://www.ecmrecords.com/Catalogue/ECM/1200/1214.php? ECM discography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006093934/http://www.ecmrecords.com/Catalogue/ECM/1200/1214.php |date=2012-10-06 }} accessed September 16, 2011
Reception
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev2 = The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|4}}{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=Richard |authorlink1=Richard Cook (journalist) |last2=Morton |first2=Brian |authorlink2=Brian Morton (Scottish writer) |title=The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |year=2008 |edition=9th |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-141-03401-0 |page=1078}}
}}Describing the album as “dazzling”, The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings says, “Newton’s vocalisations allow his pieces to develop with unprecedented depth, and his tone is quite remarkable.”
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars stating "James Newton's set of unaccompanied flute solos is generally more intriguing and diverse than one might expect. An expert at multiphonics (often humming through his flute in order to get more than one note at a time), Newton is also very strong at constructing logical yet utterly unpredictable improvisations. His playing on nine of his originals covers a fair amount of ground, and he alternates between three different types of flutes (his regular horn, alto flute and bass flute). Still, the results are more for specialized tastes."Yanow, S. [http://www.allmusic.com/album/axum-r144725 Allmusic Review] accessed September 16, 2011
Track listing
:{{Track
| all_writing = James Newton
| headline = Side I
| title1 = The Dabtara
| length1 = 3:24
| title2 = Malak 'Uqabe
| length2 = 6:52
| title3 = Solomon, Chief of Wise Men
| length3 = 4:44
| title4 = Addis Ababa
| length4 = 2:56
| title5 = Choir
| length5 = 4:32
}}{{Track
| all_writing =
| headline = Side II
| title1 = Feeling
| length1 = 2:34
| title2 = Axum
| length2 = 4:18
| title3 = Susenyos and Werzelya
| length3 = 5:20
| title4 = The Neser
| length4 = 7:59
}}