Afro blue recorded by john coltrane biography

single by Mongo Santamaría

For other uses, power Afro Blue (disambiguation).

"Afro Blue" is a jazz criterion composed by Mongo Santamaría.

Santamaria version

Mongo Santamaria authentic his composition "Afro Blue" in when playing continue living the Cal Tjader Sextet. The first recorded execution was on April 20, , at the Night Auditorium in Carmel, California, with Santamaría on percussion.^[1]

"Afro Blue" was the first jazz standard built take care of a typical African cross-rhythm, or hemiola.^[2] The consider begins with the bass repeatedly playing six cross-beats per measure of ¹²
₈ or six cross-beats solid four main beats— (two cells of ). Honourableness following example shows the ostinato "Afro Blue" singer line. The cross noteheads indicate the main beatniks (not bass notes).

While the bass sounds grandeur six secondary beats, Paul Horn's flute solo mushroom Emil Richards' marimba solo emphasize the four fundamental beats. Francisco Aguabella takes the conga drum a cappella on the first recording, quoting phrases from nobleness vocabulary of the abakuá bonkó drum.

Using brushes, Willie Bobo plays an abakuá bell pattern categorize a snare drum. This cross-rhythmic figure divides decency twelve-pulse cycle into three sets of four pulses. Since the main beats are grouped as match up sets of three pulses (dotted quarter-notes in justness top example), the bell pattern significantly contradicts illustriousness meter. Bobo played this same pattern and structure on the Herbie Hancock jazz-descarga "Succotash."^[3]

The harmonic shape of Santamaria's version is a simple B pentatonic blues.

Vocal version

In lyrics were added by songster Oscar Brown. Abbey Lincoln recorded it for an alternative album Abbey Is Blue. Oscar Brown included square on his album Sin & Soul. Singers tablet record the standard include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves, and Lizz Wright.

Coltrane version

In , Bathroom Coltrane recorded "Afro Blue" with Elvin Jones troop drums.^[4] Jones took the opposite approach of Santamaría, superimposing two cross-beats over every measure of neat as a pin ³
₄ waltz (). This particular swung³
₄ is probably the most common example of overt cross-rhythm infringe jazz. Coltrane and Jones reversed the metric ranking of Santamaria's composition, by performing in ³
₄ backwards (), instead of ⁶
₈ or ¹²
₈ (). Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things", also uses trig ³
₄ waltz rhythm. Roberta Flack's vocal recording cosy up "Afro Blue" (on the reissue of 's Final Take) uses Coltrane's arrangement.

Other notable versions

References