Swing of Delight

Santana | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 1, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sbme Special Mkts.
• ASIN: B0012GN2N8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,960 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Swapan Tari

2. Love Theme from "Spartacus"

3. Phuler Matan

4. Song for My Brother

5. Jharna Kala

6. Gardenia

7. La Llave

8. Golden Hours

9. Shere Khan, the Tiger

Editorial Reviews

Embracing the future of technology, while utilizing the digital domain in its infancy, this legend delivered one very soulful & spiritual masterpiece. With a handful of his world class jazz musician friends like Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Harvey Mason, + his Santana band mates, The Delight Of Swing was a crossover hit as loyalists & jazz fans alike flocked to record stores to explore the further musical trek of this superstar artist.For this anniversary edition, we have remastered from the Columbia tapes, packaged in a beautiful digi-pak w/ original LP graphics. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Verging on the brilliant...., May 19, 2000

By 

nicjaytee (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Swing of Delight (Audio CD)

Recorded in 1980, this set of latin infused jazz instrumental work-outs wavers, often precariously, between self-indulgence and brilliance. Drawing on the formats pioneered by Weather Report, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Lifetime, and supported by a pantheon of jazz masters - including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams - Carlos Santana comes dangerously close to producing a classic "jazz fusion" album. But... the problem that permeates the record is simple: the inherently melodic guitar playing and compositional style of his latin based music lead the listener to expectations that sit uncomfortably with the free-form, often frantic, improvisations that underpin the "fusion" format being adopted.

Virtually all of the tracks have a strong initial melodic "hook" that is then subjected to serious instrumental exploration. In some cases, such as "Love Theme From Spartacus" and "Song For My Brother" the formula works, quite superbly - two of the very best of Carlos Santana's tracks regardless of format or time. However, in others such as "Gardenia", "Phular Matan" and "Swapan Tari" the quest for improvisation at best intrudes into, and at worst seriously diverts from, a potentially highly satisfying outcome. The worst example of this is "Golden Hours" where a superb track is virtually destroyed by a final guitar and organ "jam" that leaves the listener with the distinct feeling that musical virtuosity as an end in itself has taken over. While brave, the truth is that to make Carlos Santana's latin style work in fast, improvisational jazz structures is very difficult - witness the fact that when the format is switched into more standard jazz fusion as in "Sher Kahn, The Tiger" (a straight reference to early Weather Report) the conflicts disappear and the outcome is not only excellent but comfortable and expected.

A "difficult" album on many levels but, in the end, worth the effort. Along with "Santana"'s very first album and his work with John Lee Hooker, this album contains some of the most innovative and exciting output that this marvellous guitarist has produced.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not very "Smooth" - thankfully, August 5, 2003

By 

MacTonite (Desolation Row) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Swing of Delight (Audio CD)

The idea of Carlos Santana jamming with the likes of Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, et. al., is more brilliant in design than execution. Chemistry is somewhat lacking, and the whole thing never really gels. Still, "Swing" is better than Carlos' post-2000 duet output. Stick with "Caravanserai" and "Welcome": the New Santana Band was a tight crew on these albums.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real jazz album--and a complete success, January 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Swing of Delight (Audio CD)

While Carlos Santana skirted the edges of jazz for much of the 1970s, here he plunged right in and made a real jazz album with jazz giants. It is a brilliant success. Too bad he never tried it again. The playing is really hot yet accessible. The inspiration level is consistently high. This is not esoteric jazz--it fits comfortably into the upper level of electric jazz of its day, but has aged better than most of the electric jazz by other artists. This album should not be overlooked!