Elvin Jones the most dynamic and aggressive drummer in history. The way he rips those huge ginormous drum fills right into massive crashes at those particular moments hes just fucking wailing on those cymbals and drums... fucking epic I love his drumming. Awesome.
The original instrumental version of "Afro Blue" was written by Mongo Santamaria in 1959. At that time, he was a member of Cal Tjader's sextet, and according to Wiki: "the first recorded performance of the piece, was April 20, 1959, at the Sunset Auditorium in Carmel, California". In 1963, John Coltrane recorded "Afro Blue" with Elvin Jones on drums. Coltrane and Jones reversed the metric hierarchy of Santamaria's composition, also adding several chords, making his version more harmonically sophisticated than Santamaria's. "Afro Blue" has withstood the test of time - a compelling well-known and legendary arrangement for his famed quartet.
In the sixties and seventies they say: McCoy Tyner, nobody`s finer! I Think, its the best version of this song ever.... Thanks a lot to the writer Mongo Santamaria.
All time classic. The "Live At Birdland Version" is, of course, one of the greatest musical moments in history. This is a very nice, straight ahead version. Beautiful. What a gift to see this quartet. They were the most special.
...i was introduced to this composition through Mongo Santamaria's cover on his 60's album of the same name. i had never before heard 'latin' jazz of such authenticity.
Ralph Gleason couldn't help the fact that he was born white in America. It's thanks to him and Trane's trust in him, that we can enjoy such a beautiful musical artifact from the golden age of Jazz. I believe Ralph respected this amazing group just as much as we all do. Where's the love?
kiaibi I dunno what white has to do with it. The cat dug the music. If we care what color Coltrane appreciators are we completely miss the point of the music and everything those guys were about.
One of my favorite performances of Afro Blue! Those moments between 4:00-4:50 are pure impassioned genius!! You can see the sheer ecstasy in Ralph Gleason in the seconds following that beautiful crazy blast from Trane's Soprano.... I never tire of hearing and watching this masterpiece!! Cheers and long live Trane's music and the spirit it inspires....
Man you gotta checkout the Afro Blue-Impressions recording to hear the insterstellar boyage of Saint john coltrane's sax on the afro blue solo. It's my favourite solo of all time. It's so fucking incredible!! The feel of fire, cosmic energy, elephants and chips shouting, excitement, extasy, the incredible drumms of Elvin (like a fucking stampede of rhinos), the precious piano of Mccoy Tyner. MAN THIS IS MUSIC. Spiritual feelings and cosmic energy!Greetings to all of you Coltrane lovers like me!
Craig! Thanks for stopping by with all the good jazz videos! I thought I had hit the lottery when I found Charlie Parker, etc. Thanks again (Maya is watching Leon Russell on her tablet) A great life!
McCoy was irreplaceable but on the best version of My Favorite Things I ever heard (recorded live at Newport in 1963-released on Impulse on album Selflessness) Roy Haynes was the percussionist-apparently Elvin couldn't make it-Roy just turned 91-one of best ever-I would venture to say that it comes down to a spiritual/emotionakl connection that Elvin and Jimmy shared with Coltrane-the best quartet ever no doubt
jerry goldfarb The title of "best" doesn't go to most talented always. Even if it did, there are plenty of other great musicians out there. Anyways,good comment otherwise XD
We played this for our all district middle school band, exept our jazz band was a big band, so it was really fun. I play piano, and it sounded really good. This is more of a combo jazz, and I would love to play this in combo, because it has more piano parts, but I really love this song, it's really great!
Have Afro Blue by Coltrane on Live at Birdland on vinyl (Impulse AS-50)-recorded live on October 8, 1963-for some reason, although Afro Blue is apparently by Mongo Santamaria on the album it is credited to Coltrane and the liner notes by Leroi Jones make no mention of Mongo.
There's a small bit of this sone in the live Hollywood Bowl version of The Doors' "Universal Mind", during Ray Mazarek's keyboard solo. I never realized where it came from until I heard it here. Awesome!
Love this version. It inspired me to arrange a rock version for my band, Semeron. I guess I'm not supposed to post links on UA-cam, so if you're interested, do a google search of "Semeron Afro Blue." If you like rock/metal as well as Coltrane's version of "Afro Blue," give it a listen. Thanks!
This is a nice rendition of Afro Blue by the Greatest Quartet ever however Afro Blue on the Album Live at Birdland is on another Astral Plane Musicians I know can Relate
Awesome tune the way it’s played and modified to this Coltrane quartet sound I think the best rendition of this is when they play this live on a double CD called one down one up McCoy kills it on the piano you guys must listen to that recording it’s on the album called one down one up
Matthew I agree that there is still a great deal of good music around if you take a look. However, I can see where the original poster is coming from. I think there are a couple of points that are worth bearing in mind: firstly, the form of search, investigation and experimentation that was inherent to much post WW2 Western "popular" music has been diminished because A): 1945 to 1985 there was such a MASSIVE amount of experimentation undertaken - not only in "Jazz" but, also, "Classical", "Pop", "Rock" "Folk" and "Country" that most boundary pushing lines of thought were taken to logical limits resulting now in much of the available oxygen for innovation being already taken up. Accordingly, it is now much more difficult to achieve the "Shock Of The New" that the pioneers of those years achieved. Secondly: even if the artist did come up with something fresh and original they would be then run up against contemporary corporatism and financial structure. The music business no longer has any interest in promoting or supporting artists in the manner they once did. Throughout the period I've outlined above record companies would nurture artists and allow them quite a large "grace period" in which to develop artistically, "hit their stride" and, hopefully, find an audience. This used to be the way the companies operated: realising that a "breakthrough" may take some both artistically AND financially. Artists now are thoroughly dependent on continually turning a profit for the company to which they are signed. Accordingly, it doesn't matter how successful you've been previously: any sign of a down turn and you're out of there! Because of this culture, the companies minimise risk by playing as safe as Humanly possible. The practical upshot of this is: you don't sign the John Coltrane Quartet you sign acts manufactured and designed to be homogenous "sure things" that you can promote in tried and true ways with as little risk as possible. And the upshot of THIS is that, year after year, you get more and more of the same. It's all incredibly conservative and the complete opposite of an environment that would be even remotely healthy for experimentation and innovation......I.e: the kind of musicians we used to have! Somebody once said that music used to be about breaking the rules but now it's about learning them! So true!!
It can take some folks a little longer to appreciate Jazz. I just hope more people will give it a chance. You can find more wonder in great jazz than in most other music. In my opinion of course. Just give it a chance or maybe try something easier to digest to start.
really beautiful song... coltrane can do things with a soprano that kenny g could only wish he could do. oh and whos the guy smokin a pipe next to the piano?
When i listen this GREAT MUSIC i wondering: What happen to this?i mean this was and always be awesome music but now the music is so empty and comercial, to much pop, when we lost the way?
He's there because it's his show and he's hosting a quartet of living, breathing human beings who are artists, not gods. If Gleason really bothered anyone except for jealous white boys, fifty years after the fact, then either he or the quartet wouldn't be there.
Ralph Joseph Gleason (March 1, 1917 - June 3, 1975) was an influential American jazz and pop music critic. He contributed for many years to the San Francisco Chronicle, was a founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine, and cofounder of the Monterey Jazz Festival.[1]
Glad to know he made some substantial contribution but his appearance with a pipe in hand leaning on Tyner's piano during the concert as if he is somehow part of the music seems grossly pretentious.
Again the further we depart from Jazz's origins the more we lose the spirit. At this stage jazz has already taken on the intellectual properties and some of the pretentiousness that it associated with today. But if you knew the kind of places these guys would have played in.... after hours bars.... probably pretty seedy places... you wouldnt think a guy leaning on the piano smoking a pipe is invasive. A few nights ago it could have been a cat smoking reefer... and maybe the night before a stipper dangling her legs off the piano. This is jazz we are talking about people! dammit
I've seen others cover this song....none have brought this energy, this raw power back to life. This quartet was untouchable
coltrane is the greatest jazz legend to ever walk the planet earth
Agreed although I would say he shares that spot with Miles
Elvin Jones the most dynamic and aggressive drummer in history. The way he rips those huge ginormous drum fills right into massive crashes at those particular moments hes just fucking wailing on those cymbals and drums... fucking epic I love his drumming. Awesome.
Yes!!
The original instrumental version of "Afro Blue" was written by Mongo Santamaria in 1959. At that time, he was a member of Cal Tjader's sextet, and according to Wiki: "the first recorded performance of the piece, was April 20, 1959, at the Sunset Auditorium in Carmel, California". In 1963, John Coltrane recorded "Afro Blue" with Elvin Jones on drums. Coltrane and Jones reversed the metric hierarchy of Santamaria's composition, also adding several chords, making his version more harmonically sophisticated than Santamaria's. "Afro Blue" has withstood the test of time - a compelling well-known and legendary arrangement for his famed quartet.
Thanks! I didn't know that.
came for that McCoy Tyner sound (RIP today), stayed for Trane and that amazing quartet cohesion.
those guys were simply the greatest talent of their day, and today
In the sixties and seventies they say: McCoy Tyner, nobody`s finer! I Think, its the best version of this song ever.... Thanks a lot to the writer Mongo Santamaria.
Amazing. Humanity is so fortunate that John Coltrane made so much music.
This quartet it's the most powerful thing that ever happened in the music's world.
yeah. agree. this song was with me since I was a baby.
@Armando Pace . I was gonna say that’s a hyperbole but I must agree with you.
Armando Pace agreed cool dog
Amen and Amen
I had to ponder this, but ultimately agree it’s more true than false.
All time classic. The "Live At Birdland Version" is, of course, one of the greatest musical moments in history. This is a very nice, straight ahead version. Beautiful. What a gift to see this quartet. They were the most special.
I have the album.
Así es. La versión Live at the Half Note es brutal también.
Genius of the highest order. We still are not worthy.
...i was introduced to this composition through Mongo Santamaria's cover on his 60's album of the same name. i had never before heard 'latin' jazz of such authenticity.
Ralph Gleason couldn't help the fact that he was born white in America. It's thanks to him and Trane's trust in him, that we can enjoy such a beautiful musical artifact from the golden age of Jazz. I believe Ralph respected this amazing group just as much as we all do. Where's the love?
kiaibi I dunno what white has to do with it. The cat dug the music. If we care what color Coltrane appreciators are we completely miss the point of the music and everything those guys were about.
One of my favorite performances of Afro Blue! Those moments between 4:00-4:50 are pure impassioned genius!! You can see the sheer ecstasy in Ralph Gleason in the seconds following that beautiful crazy blast from Trane's Soprano.... I never tire of hearing and watching this masterpiece!! Cheers and long live Trane's music and the spirit it inspires....
The greatest quartet ever assembled. McCoy Tyner in his prime. Elvin Jones swinging on the drums. It doesn't get any better.
McCoy's "prime" -- life-long I'd say.
These cats were BAD!!! Amazing.
one m y favorite coltrane video
Man you gotta checkout the Afro Blue-Impressions recording to hear the insterstellar boyage of Saint john coltrane's sax on the afro blue solo. It's my favourite solo of all time. It's so fucking incredible!! The feel of fire, cosmic energy, elephants and chips shouting, excitement, extasy, the incredible drumms of Elvin (like a fucking stampede of rhinos), the precious piano of Mccoy Tyner. MAN THIS IS MUSIC. Spiritual feelings and cosmic energy!Greetings to all of you Coltrane lovers like me!
The best ever...transcended through time ....in order for a man to meet his self he must go beyond his limits
As great as Coltrane is, McCoy Tyner makes this piece the richest it could possibly be
MunsterSong elvin jones playing drums is awesome
his playing is next to none. his harmonic voicing is probably the best ever. imo
Agreed. This unit was the best ever.
Outstanding!
These 4. Brought together by God himself.
At 4:33 McCoy Tyner and Ralph Gleason looked at each other like, "You heard that too, right?"
Ralph Gleason's expression at 4:33 says it all
Now I know where The Doors' got inspired for "Universal Mind!" Beautiful!
Tyner's solo is absolutely amazing here!
Afro Blue es una interpretacion maravillosa, me gusta y siempre la he escuchado, he buscado otras y me quedo con esta,gracias
On soprano sax my favorites John Coltrane, Lucky Thompson, Zoot Sims, Wayne Shorter, Steve Lacy and Sidney Bechet.
What no Branford?
Steve Lacy said John Coltrane came by his gig one night and watched him and soon thereafter took up the soprano saxophone.
Craig! Thanks for stopping by with all the good jazz videos! I thought I had hit the lottery when I found Charlie Parker, etc.
Thanks again (Maya is watching Leon Russell on her tablet) A great life!
Mccoy tyner killed it!
McCoy was irreplaceable but on the best version of My Favorite Things I ever heard (recorded live at Newport in 1963-released on Impulse on album Selflessness) Roy Haynes was the percussionist-apparently Elvin couldn't make it-Roy just turned 91-one of best ever-I would venture to say that it comes down to a spiritual/emotionakl connection that Elvin and Jimmy shared with Coltrane-the best quartet ever no doubt
jerry goldfarb The title of "best" doesn't go to most talented always. Even if it did, there are plenty of other great musicians out there. Anyways,good comment otherwise XD
A moody, rhythmic masterpiece. This is one of my favourite things ;)
We played this for our all district middle school band, exept our jazz band was a big band, so it was really fun. I play piano, and it sounded really good. This is more of a combo jazz, and I would love to play this in combo, because it has more piano parts, but I really love this song, it's really great!
this is the music of inspiration, I love it
Elvin Jones has a bad ass flannel!
Each to their own, I love it...
The pianist is a fckn BOSS
Ivan Mazeppa FACTS
Try listening to this same cut on the best of John Coltrane album McCoy is the man on that version.
RIP to the real McCoy.
This is so far the best I've heard, it's really good!
I think I saw this on TV when I was a kid. I remember Elvin Jones' plaid jerkin.
Have Afro Blue by Coltrane on Live at Birdland on vinyl (Impulse AS-50)-recorded live on October 8, 1963-for some reason, although Afro Blue is apparently by Mongo Santamaria on the album it is credited to Coltrane and the liner notes by Leroi Jones make no mention of Mongo.
jerry goldfarb ...Ramon "Mongo" Santamaria is the lone composer of AFRO BLUE, PERIOD!!!
Holy smokes. Transcendent.
CLASSIC 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Just beautiful. Thank you, Mongo for this rare gem.
Amazing!!!
Thanks for uploading this
There's a small bit of this sone in the live Hollywood Bowl version of The Doors' "Universal Mind", during Ray Mazarek's keyboard solo. I never realized where it came from until I heard it here. Awesome!
Masterpiece!
best version of this. so good
the way the piano and drums kinda roll in at the start, beautiful
La mejor interpretacion de Jhon Coltrane
Thanks for sharing this !
Beautiful
Has a 6/8 feel, very cool.
holy smokes this rocks!
unbelievable
You said it all man!
I enjoyed it. Thanks.
Love this version. It inspired me to arrange a rock version for my band, Semeron. I guess I'm not supposed to post links on UA-cam, so if you're interested, do a google search of "Semeron Afro Blue." If you like rock/metal as well as Coltrane's version of "Afro Blue," give it a listen. Thanks!
the look on ralph gleasons face at around 4:30 sums this up perfectly
lol
Heaven on earth . . .
My type of lullaby :)
This is a nice rendition of Afro Blue by the Greatest Quartet ever however Afro Blue on the Album Live at Birdland is on another Astral Plane Musicians I know can Relate
I love Coltrane on soprano
Sorrows shared!!!
i was doing time , in the universal mind
Awesome tune the way it’s played and modified to this Coltrane quartet sound I think the best rendition of this is when they play this live on a double CD called one down one up McCoy kills it on the piano you guys must listen to that recording it’s on the album called one down one up
que chimba gracias
RIP Mr. Tyner
This member has been referred to as the golden quartet.
The Untouchables….
the guy at the end is so awesome 'this is jazz casual' his says it so casually lol
elvin jones coltrane and more
Trane was a musical God
WELL SAID!
Music of Ascension. Young McCoy Tyner on piano.
it's hard to believe American Music was once this good....what happened????
Ok boomer
Still lots of great music out there if you know where to look
Matthew I agree that there is still a great deal of good music around if you take a look. However, I can see where the original poster is coming from. I think there are a couple of points that are worth bearing in mind: firstly, the form of search, investigation and experimentation that was inherent to much post WW2 Western "popular" music has been diminished because A): 1945 to 1985 there was such a MASSIVE amount of experimentation undertaken - not only in "Jazz" but, also, "Classical", "Pop", "Rock" "Folk" and "Country" that most boundary pushing lines of thought were taken to logical limits resulting now in much of the available oxygen for innovation being already taken up. Accordingly, it is now much more difficult to achieve the "Shock Of The New" that the pioneers of those years achieved.
Secondly: even if the artist did come up with something fresh and original they would be then run up against contemporary corporatism and financial structure. The music business no longer has any interest in promoting or supporting artists in the manner they once did. Throughout the period I've outlined above record companies would nurture artists and allow them quite a large "grace period" in which to develop artistically, "hit their stride" and, hopefully, find an audience. This used to be the way the companies operated: realising that a "breakthrough" may take some both artistically AND financially. Artists now are thoroughly dependent on continually turning a profit for the company to which they are signed. Accordingly, it doesn't matter how successful you've been previously: any sign of a down turn and you're out of there! Because of this culture, the companies minimise risk by playing as safe as Humanly possible. The practical upshot of this is: you don't sign the John Coltrane Quartet you sign acts manufactured and designed to be homogenous "sure things" that you can promote in tried and true ways with as little risk as possible. And the upshot of THIS is that, year after year, you get more and more of the same.
It's all incredibly conservative and the complete opposite of an environment that would be even remotely healthy for experimentation and innovation......I.e: the kind of musicians we used to have!
Somebody once said that music used to be about breaking the rules but now it's about learning them! So true!!
@@milest3560 Sike...GenXer my dude....you can thank us for Nirvana when you discover them...now hurry along you snot nosed kid....
Great
I find this tune to be really melancholy
Is that Bill Evans just hangin' out and smokin' a pipe?
Thing is, this kind of music need good musicians to make. Nowadays all it takes is a computer and a soundcard. Easy money
the original composer is Mongo Santamaría, not Coltrane.
look up Afro Blue on wikipedia
cheers!
that's coltrane
Who;s the guy playing the pipe?
Hahaha
one, its a Bb Soprano Saxophone, 2 its John Coltrane.
Look closer. . The white dude at the piano
*****
?
+0hhtec Musician oh man do I have to spell it out lol.. the first comment was a joke aimed at the white dude stood smoking a pipe next to the piano :)
Cal Tjader version is awesome too
It can take some folks a little longer to appreciate Jazz. I just hope more people will give it a chance. You can find more wonder in great jazz than in most other music. In my opinion of course. Just give it a chance or maybe try something easier to digest to start.
really beautiful song... coltrane can do things with a soprano that kenny g could only wish he could do.
oh and whos the guy smokin a pipe next to the piano?
“Are we gonna see Coltrane again?” Dad
And sometimes you are one.
what opinion?
When i listen this GREAT MUSIC i wondering: What happen to this?i mean this was and always be awesome music but now the music is so empty and comercial, to much pop, when we lost the way?
The music is great but don't you think the setting is weird?
No, not really
+TenSop Saxop Actually, your question is what's weird.
+TenSop Saxop What do you mean by " setting " ?
+TheWizard
set·ting1
[ˈsediNG]
NOUN
the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event takes place:
you can add " Love consequences serenity" from the album "Meditations" ,,,boring NEVER,,,
Where is Elvin's suit. he looks like a lumber jack. Of course nobody could chop wood like him!
dotn worry, hes probably tlking about the page turner near the piano
Just out of jail I believe. No suit available!
Love how people are still reacting to a troll from five years ago.
" Africa is where man began " Charles Darwin
Thumbs up if borgore sent you here.
try "jazz waltz" lol
I understand Coltrane, Tyner, etc. but what is the function of the pipe smoking white liberal? Is he keeping the piano from levitating off the ground?
He's there because it's his show and he's hosting a quartet of living, breathing human beings who are artists, not gods. If Gleason really bothered anyone except for jealous white boys, fifty years after the fact, then either he or the quartet wouldn't be there.
Ralph Joseph Gleason (March 1, 1917 - June 3, 1975) was an influential American jazz and pop music critic. He contributed for many years to the San Francisco Chronicle, was a founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine, and cofounder of the Monterey Jazz Festival.[1]
Glad to know he made some substantial contribution but his appearance with a pipe in hand leaning on Tyner's piano during the concert as if he is somehow part of the music seems grossly pretentious.
Again the further we depart from Jazz's origins the more we lose the spirit. At this stage jazz has already taken on the intellectual properties and some of the pretentiousness that it associated with today. But if you knew the kind of places these guys would have played in.... after hours bars.... probably pretty seedy places... you wouldnt think a guy leaning on the piano smoking a pipe is invasive. A few nights ago it could have been a cat smoking reefer... and maybe the night before a stipper dangling her legs off the piano. This is jazz we are talking about people! dammit
it was his show that Trane & his guys were playing on