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From: Ken Deifik
Date: Mon, 06 Sep 1999 18:07:20 -0700
Subject: Afro Blue

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James Rossen wrote:
>"Afro Blue" lays out nicely on a diatonic in third position, and seems
>like it would be a great change of pace from typical blues band fare.
>Anyone have suggestions for arranging this for a band with harp, two
>guitars, bass, drums?

The tune's composer, Mongo Santamaria, has recorded it often, as you might
imagine. My personal favorite version of his was on Mongo Live At The
Village Gate on Columbia, which has not shown up on CD to my
knowledge. Bummer, because Hubert Laws takes a piccolo solo that is
probably the greatest recorded jazz piccolo solo.

Any version you can find of Mongo's will give you lots of interesting
ideas. He does it with a 6/8 feel, with the bass playing (if it were in C)
C-G-C-C-G-C, very hypnotically in quarter notes. The bass is playing just
ahead of the beat, which gives it a very urgent feeling. (I have no idea
what key he really plays it in.)

One of my favorite tricks of the latin rhythm section is having one member
playing ahead like that. It's almost the rule in the real original
Brazillian Bossa Nova records. Ears schooled in the blues become very
accustomed to behind-the-beat and we often forget to mess with the other
side of the tick.

Ken
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James Rossen wrote:

>"Afro Blue" lays out nicely on a diatonic in third
position, and seems

>like it would be a great change of pace from typical blues band fare.


>Anyone have suggestions for arranging this for a band with harp, two


>guitars, bass, drums?



The tune's composer, Mongo Santamaria, has recorded it often, as
you might imagine.  My personal favorite version of his was on Mongo
Live At The Village Gate on Columbia, which has not shown up on CD to my
knowledge.  Bummer, because Hubert Laws takes a piccolo solo that is
probably the greatest recorded jazz piccolo solo.



Any version you can find of Mongo's will give you lots of interesting
ideas. He does it with a  6/8 feel, with the bass playing (if it
were in C) C-G-C-C-G-C, very hypnotically in quarter notes.  The
bass is playing just ahead of the beat, which gives it a very urgent
feeling.  (I have no idea what key he really plays it in.)



One of my favorite tricks of the latin rhythm section is having one
member playing ahead like that.  It's almost the rule in the real
original Brazillian Bossa Nova records.  Ears schooled in the blues
become very accustomed to behind-the-beat and we often forget to mess
with the other side of the tick. 



Ken

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