10 Incredible Instrumentals That Deserve Your Attention

6. Santana - Soul Sacrifice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F3Cjr32QyI Find it: Santana (1969) In terms of live shows, it surely doesn't get much better than playing Woodstock in 1969. Not only did a 22-year-old Carlos Santana do just that, but he contributed one of the festival's highlights with his performance of this instrumental classic. Closing out the band's eponymous debut album, 'Soul Sacrifice' is a song that unfurls methodically, with an opening conga drum fill that's swiftly followed by a burst of organ and a blistering drum salvo. And, of course, it wouldn't be a Santana song if it didn't feature some outstanding guitar work. The man himself is on top form here, entering the fray with a series of clipped riffs before easing into a more prolonged sequence of guitar lines. Santana appears in the introduction to this list, and deservedly so; 'Soul Sacrifice' is a lesson in how to control an otherwise hectic instrumental jam by allowing each component enough breathing space to impress in its own right.