I Love This Song: “Samba Pa Ti”

[Magic]

This song takes me way back to my first real boyfriend. I was 15, in the 9th grade, and these three boys started getting on my school bus. They moved down the street with their dad. The oldest boy, who was in the 11th grade, was soooo cute; I had an immediate crush. Turns out he liked me too. We started hanging out together, going to football games, roller skating, the movies, etc.

One day he asked me to come to his house after school. I was a good girl back then, and really a bit shy to go to his house. He assured me I didn’t need to be scared, he wanted to show me something. I thought it was their mini bike, which he talked about all the time. Nope, it was his guitar! I didn’t know he played guitar.

He got out one of his dad’s albums and told me I probably wouldn’t like the music but he wanted to show me what he could play. It was Samba Pa Ti. It was the most awesome 4+ minutes ever! I was star struck….the boy could play! He played this song many times for me over our 6 month courtship, along with other stuff, but nothing impressed me as much as the first song he played for me. To this very day, I can still see him playing and smiling whenever I hear Samba Pa Ti.

It was many years later when I added Abraxas to my album collection. I will often play this song on repeat, because it does bring back memories of a happy and innocent time in my life.

Once I started fooling around in music forums, I learned that the beautiful organ parts on Abraxas are played by Gregg Rolie. Who later went on to be in my second all time favorite band…Journey.


Left to right: Carlos Santana, Jose Areas, Mike Carabello, David Brown, Gregg Rolie and Michael Shrieve.

I just love this song! What are your thoughts and opinions?

 

[Slipn]

Well you know I'm jumping on this one.. At first I had that uneasy feeling that a priest get's during confession, But kept reading and you covered your ass well there good girl.
Anywho..
I had a somewhat same kinda story. My dad had some rental houses across the street and he rented to a lady and her three sons. The oldest didn't live there but second oldest and a younger than me brother.
The second older was named Wayne. He was a bad boy kinda biker jail bird type of guy. But liked me and never gave me or my dad any trouble.
I used to live in that house when I was 12 but one day he invited me over to show me something.
His room was my old room and he had it fixed up sooo cool. Posters everywhere. He even pin striped the walls up by the ceiling and had black lights that made the pin stripes stand out.
He had some albums and put on Santana III and showed me his dagger collection. As the album was playing he pulled out what looked like a plastic rifle and said watch this..
He aimed it at a wooden whiskey barrel in the corner and fired away.
I'm freakin cause he's shooting a gun off in his room. He's laughing and saying he converted the gun into a automatic and just shot off 15 shells in a couple seconds.
So ya... That was my first introduction into Santana and had to rush right out and buy that album.
I must have close to every album of there's I could get my hands on.
Some I like others are too much cha cha..

Off Abraxas my favorites
Black Magic Woman
Oye Como Va
Hope Your Feeling Better
Singing Winds Crying Beast
Se A Cabo~ Is a fun song
Sampa Pa Ti, Is where Carlos shines with his latino roots..

 

[Magic]

@Slipn you can rest easy, sweetie, I was most definitely an innocent girl at 15. My bad boy / girl story comes at 17. There is a song for that, too!

your story above is crazy……now my motherly instincts are kickin in tellin me you had a wild streak



Carlos is one of my favorite guitarists. I loved his collaboration with Rob Thomas - Smooth

and Everlast - Put Your Lights On

Carlos also collaborated with Steven Tyler, “Just Feel Better”, which is kinda meh…

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

As a big lover of Latin American culture and music, this is one of my favorite tracks from the album. I'm also with @Slipn on his choice of favorites!!! Black Magic Woman and Oye Como Va, especially.

I don't listen to music to dance, some gets my foot going and maybe a little more, but there is certain music that makes me break out some kind of weird choreography. This song is that kind of music... When I used to spend a lot of time with the Cubans I used to work with and we'd drink and get into shit together, they'd teach me a thing or two about dancing. I don't remember much, but I think it somehow slips back out in the moments where I get down to music that makes me move.

 

[Jimmy The Finger]

Just posted a new article on my website, Classic Rock Forever, the "Top !10 Songs You (Probably) Never Heard" in which I cite the Ottmar Leibert version on which Carlos plays lead. You should check it out.

4. "Samba Pa Ti"
Ottmar Liebert
Solo Para Ti

Hell and gone from Classic Rock, Ottmar Liebert is a German New Age acoustic flamenco guitarist. In 1992 he recorded an LP entitled Solo Para Ti which featured a new rendition of Santana’s “Samba Pa Ti” off Abraxas, one of the most beautiful instrumentals in Rock History. Somebody had a bright idea. “Hey, why don’t we call Carlos Santana to come in, overdub some lead guitar.” And Santana said okay.

Tough to concede it might be better than the original but this song is positively sublime. Acoustic guitar, congas, finger cymbals and then – Carlos.

 

[Magic]

@Jimmy The Finger

it’s a great cover, but not better than the original, IMO.

 

[dr wu]

Nice track indeed...not my favorite on that lp though.
If one likes the flow of that track I highly recommend Caravanserai....the whole lp has that jazzy rock melodic style and Samba Pa Ti could fit it on that one.

 

[Mr Mojo Risin]

Nice track indeed...not my favorite on that lp though.
If one likes the flow of that track I highly recommend Caravanserai....the whole lp has that jazzy rock melodic style and Samba Pa Ti could fit it on that one.

I agree. Caravanserai is also my 2nd favorite Santana album, after the debut.