Re: [Harp-L] Coltrane/Afro Blue

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

On Apr 13, 2009, at 10:13 PM, THOMAS FIACCO wrote:

> Mongo Santamaria was a percussionist-if not for Coltrane,the song  
> would have remained relativley obscure.
That may be true.

 I first ran into Mongo at Trader Vic's in the Caribe Hilton, San  
Juan Puerto Rico. It was Christmas 1962 and we had just done
44 days of picket duty during the Cuban missle crisis. I remember we  
both lamented at the state of affairs that had befallen  
Cuba..probably one my favorite countries.

Of course I have heard both versions (as well as others). Afro Blue  
is one of my most favorite tunes and I (personally..humbly) feel that  
this is definitely a percussion tune. I also feel that Coltrane's  
version (on sop sax) is a bit too pinchy and looses the overall  
vibrance of the tune. I feel that the original version, especially  
done on logs instead of drums, is the boss.

Coltrane's version is like listening to Quiet Village without the  
birds, or Los Indios Tabaljares without the spaces between the guitar  
frets 'scooped out'. Or the Ventures without the 'Wah-Wah' bars.

smo-joe