Besides classical music, I think that there are very few instrumental tracks as stuck in the collective unconscious as Santana's Samba Pa Ti. From their 1970 album, Abraxas, Samba Pa Ti is a haunting piece of guitar work. Carlitos Santana showcases all of his technique on the piece, and recreates a rich landscape.

I like listening to Samba Pa Ti at night, watching cars in the highway go by, or seeing raindrops fall on the windows. I'm sure this song brings images to everyone who hears it. Throughout the mellow beat of the song, Santana's guitar sings, and it is truly expressive. It cries, it screams with joy and climaxes.

Perhaps Samba Pa Ti was shadowed by two other excellent songs on that album, Oye Como Va and Black Magic Woman, but Samba Pa Ti stands out, as it was composed by the man himself (it's surprising that a lot of the better songs by Santana are other people's), perhaps that's why it feels like a guitar solo, more than anything. Anyway, go, grab a copy of Samba Pa Ti and...

Chill out

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