Shoudda had congas!

[burke]

So I dug out some old records this evening and played along ( songs/albums without congas). Got me to thinkin ... are there tunes you guys think ...'Shoudda had congas!'?

[alabubba]

First off, great question! I've noticed before that much of the old rock I still enjoy actually does have conga in it, though it may be down in the mix. But I never thought to ask what should have had congas.

I have been fortunate lately to sit in on congas for a lot of gigs with some musicians who seem to have a lot of covers on tap. Every gig is an adventure because there is so much variation in what they play from night to night. They consist of one guitar, a bass, a drummer and a harmonica player. When I sit on on congas as a "fifth element" I get to play on a lot of songs that never had conga in them. Some that I think are greatly improved with conga (and have been very fun for me): Born Under a Bad Sign, Voodoo Child, Mustang Sally, Whipping Post, Brown-Eyed Girl, Get Together, I Still Got The Blues for You, Sweet Home Alabama, I Got My Mojo Working, Can't You See, even Folsom Prison Blues, if you can believe that!

The thing is, until you try it, you just don't know! Since I have been sitting in with these guys, now a lot of time when I learn a new West African rhythm or Cuban dance rhythm, songs come to mind while I am practicing and I start looking for opportunities to play the new rhythm with any song that might be played that has a similar feel to the songs that come to mind, if that makes sense.

[CongaTick]

I'm in te same boat as alabubba, since I play with several cover and original projects that have little to do with afro-cuban-folkloric grooves. Though I can usually find a pattern that works with most music, I do draw the line at some, and will lay out when I think percussion is superfluous to the mix. Especially with music that invites long-winded electric guitar solos regardless of genre.