Afro Blue
Encyclopedia
"Afro Blues" is a jazz standard
composed by Mongo Santamaría
, perhaps best known in its arrangement by John Coltrane
.
Coltrane's recordings of the piece have several features in common with his versions of "My Favorite Things
", including a pulsating 3/4
jazz waltz rhythm, and a simple, almost drone
-like harmonic structure.
The song is notable for its Afro-Cuban feel, which also makes it difficult to play. It can be arranged in 6/8 or 3/4 time. If it is arranged in 6/8, it has a strong quarter note triplet feel; if it is arranged in 3/4, it has a strong dotted quarter note feel. All these factors give the piece a complex, smooth-sounding beat.
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
composed by Mongo Santamaría
Mongo Santamaría
Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue," recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All...
, perhaps best known in its arrangement by John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
.
Coltrane's recordings of the piece have several features in common with his versions of "My Favorite Things
My Favorite Things (song)
"My Favorite Things" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music.-The Sound of Music version:The song was first introduced by Mary Martin in the original Broadway production, and sung by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film.In the musical, the lyrics to the song are a...
", including a pulsating 3/4
Triple metre
Triple metre is a musical metre characterized by a primary division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 or 9 in the upper figure of the time signature, with 3/4, 3/2, and 3/8 being the most common examples...
jazz waltz rhythm, and a simple, almost drone
Drone (music)
In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...
-like harmonic structure.
The song is notable for its Afro-Cuban feel, which also makes it difficult to play. It can be arranged in 6/8 or 3/4 time. If it is arranged in 6/8, it has a strong quarter note triplet feel; if it is arranged in 3/4, it has a strong dotted quarter note feel. All these factors give the piece a complex, smooth-sounding beat.
Performances
- The first recorded performance of the piece was by the Cal TjaderCal TjaderCallen Radcliffe Tjader, Jr. a.k.a. Cal Tjader was a Latin jazz musician, though he also explored various other jazz idioms. Unlike other American jazz musicians who experimented with the music from Cuba, the Caribbean, and Latin America, he never abandoned it, performing it until his...
Sextet, April 20, 1959, at the Sunset Auditorium in Carmel, California, with composer Mongo Santamaría on percussion; this performance was released on the LP Concert By The Sea, Part 1. - Mongo SantamaríaMongo SantamaríaRamón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was an Afro-Cuban Latin jazz percussionist. He is most famous for being the composer of the jazz standard "Afro Blue," recorded by John Coltrane among others. In 1950 he moved to New York where he played with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All...
recorded the piece with his own band the following month on his LP Mongo, which was nevertheless released prior to the above recording. - Abbey LincolnAbbey LincolnAnna Marie Wooldridge , better known by her stage name Abbey Lincoln, was a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. Lincoln was unusual in that she wrote and performed her own compositions, expanding the expectations of jazz audiences.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, she was one of many...
performed the song on her 1959 album, Abbey Is Blue, with lyrics by Oscar Brown Jr.. (On the original LP sleeve it was credited to Herbie MannHerbie MannHerbert Jay Solomon , better known as Herbie Mann, was a Jewish American jazz flutist and important early practitioner of world music...
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