The piece is in 3/4 waltz time , a format the Quartet frequently used for deep exploration (similar to their iconic version of "My Favorite Things").
The recording of " Afro Blue " from the 1963 album Live at Birdland is a landmark of modal jazz, capturing the "Classic Quartet" at a creative peak. Recorded on October 8, 1963 , at the famous Manhattan club, this nearly 11-minute performance serves as a bridge between Coltrane's hard-bop roots and the spiritual, avant-garde territory he would explore in later years. The Composition and Arrangement John Coltrane Quartet at Birdland - Afro Blue
Originally written by Cuban percussionist in 1959, "Afro Blue" is built on a distinctive African-inspired rhythmic pattern known as a hemiola . The piece is in 3/4 waltz time ,