Notice
1. This tab plays out on the Power Tab Editor at 4:52. The recorded version on CD goes silent at approximately 4:51, and maybe 4:52 if you listen very carefully.
2. As is true of most well composed latin music, the arrangement is delicate. Nothing sounds right or complete without all of the parts. The keyboard and bass parts compliment each other with a kind of syncopation they wouldn't have by themselves. The music sounded naked with just the guitar part because the keyboard variations change the mood of the tune, and the bass adds latin color and rhythm.
3. There are Three distinct recurring themes exemplified by:
1st Theme at Rehersals [A] [C] & [G] (bars 1-24, 41-51, & 107-117);
2d Theme at Rehersals [B] & [F] (bars 25-40, 91-106); and,
the Piano Interlude, Guitar Solo and Outro at Rehersals [D] [E] and [H] (at bars 54-55, 56-90, & 118-150).
4. The solos at Rehersals [E] & [H] (bars 56-90, and 118-150], are played over a "i ii V i " progression (Dm ->Em7b5 ->A7/E ->Dm), which is not uncommon to jazz. But, C.S. doesn't play chromatic jazz guitar lines. His playing vacillates between purely pentatonic (which is sorta running home to momma Jeff Beck style), and modal playing in the D natural minor scale. The latter is kind of a tribute to Gabor Szabo -- the guy who wrote Gypsy Queen and played modal solos on an amplified/miked Gibson accoustic gutar. Listen to Szabo's album "Spellbinder" and you will get a good idea where C.S. got a lot of the chops you find in this tune.
5. The solo in the middle is quite nicely constructed, beginning with a recurring theme (bars 56-62) connected by chord tones to a pedal point demonstration (bars 65-67), followed by some signature singing tones capped by a decending pentatonic run (bars 67-70), then some Jeff Beck style hammer ons (running home to momma) (bars 71-72), followed by another, almost identical descending pentatonic run (bars 72-73), then onto some more signature singing/crying string bends in the next highest octave, along with some wide string skipping (bars 73-77), followed by three bars of rapidly executed triplets and triplet 16h note compound rhythms (bars 78-80), a little lyrical singing style playing in the higher registers (bars 81-85), followed by even more rapid triplet and triplet/16th note rhythm combinations (bars 86-87), culminating in a syncopated octave pattern which raises the tension to its highest (thanks to the rhythm section) (bars 88-90) -- which is all then released with a reprise of Theme 2 -- which encapsulates a rather happy mood (bars 91 et seq.)
6. Don't get me wrong. I'm not being cynical or critical of C.S.'s soloing style. I mean, I like the tune. The point to be made here, with regard to C.S.'s soloing style, is that it isn't flashy. He uses simple ideas and patterns (as previously described) to build tension in a lyrical manner -- which is precisely his stated goal. His middle solo just happens to be a wonderful example of how to do this.
7. If there is any part that troubles me, it is the outro solo at bars 142-145. C.S. uses a lot of Wes Montgomery type octave patterns over and over. I'm sure I have the right notes and (now) the correct fingerings, but I'm not so sure about the rhythms (especially in bar 145). Any input on this would be appreciated.
8. Finally, as always if you find any errors or areas which need improvement, drop me a line and tell me what's wrong. I'm always open to constructive criticism. I will do my best to make it a better tab.
9. ****** UPDATE Jan. 9, 2004. Changed the fingering from hell on the octave riffs in bars 142 - 146 to something within the realm of humanly playable. I don't know precisely how CS picks the octave parts, but plucking them the easiest way to get the desired results. That way, you don't have to deaden all of the unused strings -- as you would if you flat-picked them. The fingering is self explanatory, and requies only a minor pull off (third string 12th fret to 10th fret) after the slide.
10. ****************** Update January 25, 2004, removed or altered a couple of slides that were annoying the daylights out of me.
1. The bass part is elegant but simple. All of 1st Theme and Solo portions have predictable ostinato patterns based on chord tones.
2. The 2d Theme portions are where one must be careful (e.g., bars 25-40). There, one will find some nice counterpoint lines interspersed with the chord tones (see e.g. bars 28-30).
3. As is true of a lot of latin music (ehem), the bass patterns often depends on the interval of the 5th to give it its most powerful movement. You can't get past the first two bars without proof of this point. Bar 2 spells a D5 (in a minor context) with D -> A (up a 5th) -> D (up a 4th to the octave) -> A (down a 5th). This pattern is too typical of the ostinato patters found throughout the tune to merit further comment. [Notice, also, that the keyboard parts often have chords voiced with the 5th in the bass].
