BOTB RESULTS From 2019, JAN. 15: (Or, CARLOS SANTANA VS. GATO BARBIERI)

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STMcC’s Vote On '2019, January 15th: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Carlos Santana Versus Gato Barbieri - And The Final Tally:
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FIRST: I thank every one of you who showed up to listen and vote. If you weren't doing that, I wouldn't be doing this.
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SECOND: As of tomorrow at about 15:00 (that's 3:00 PM for you civilians) I will be officially cleared to move into my new home.
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And you know how it is when you move. For awhile, I will be without AlGoreNet service. And right now, I don't know which days I will actually be physically moving my shit  stuffs. Therefore, I don't know which days and for how long I will be without service. And then we're always at the mercy of "cable guys" and such.
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I'm going to try to compose and set up my next two BOTB installments to automatically post on Feb. 1st and Feb. 15th, and I will do my best to host these Battles. I will also do my best to vote on all y'all's Battles. Even if it means I have to do it in single sentences posted from my cell phone from some coffee shop (NOT called Starbucks!) with Wifi. But if you don't hear much from me over the next two BOTB periods, please understand why and *KNOW* that I will be Bach. Maybe even Beethoven, too.
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As for my Battle this time, it took place HERE. It featured the song 'EUROPA (Earth's Cry, Heaven's Smile)', and I used the live version from the Carlos Santana 'Moonflower' album against the rendition by Jazz saxophonist Gato Barbieri from his album 'Caliente!'.
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Back on 9-15-2018, BOTBer John Holton created a contest using the same song and contestants, except he utilized Carlos Santana's studio version of the song. John's Battle is HERE. Following are comments that John and I exchanged back then, prior to him creating that Battle. And all the comments below will 'splain why I re-did this Battle using Santana's live version of the song:
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Me: Good choices, JOHN! I always dug that ‘Caliente!’ album, and over the years I toyed with the idea of using Gato’s ‘Europa’ against the Santana original in BOTB. I’ve always shied away from it, though, figuring it would be a landslide victory for Carlos.
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John: Actually, I think you’d be surprised in a BotB between the two of them. But that’s up to you.
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Me: It’s definitely a Rock and guitar-centric crowd, so I think Carlos and his guitar would pretty well clobber Gato and his saxophone. But, hey, if you like the idea of that match-up, consider it all yours. My gift to you to use whenever you want. Me, I’m too a-skeered to try and pull that one off.
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Here are the voting Results from John's Battle:
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Gato Barbieri = 4 votes
Carlos Santana = 3  votes
Carlos & Gato together = 1 vote
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During the Battle, I posted the following comment-vote to John:
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Me: Very interesting Battle, JOHN. This is quite possibly the first time in BOTB history where someone put two musicians up against each other and then offered a third option with the two musicians performing the song together. Cool ‘outside-the-box’ approach.
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And this Battle is more of a challenge to me than I’d anticipated, because here’s the funny thing: When I thought of putting Gato against Carlos, I ALWAYS automatically assumed I’d use Santana’s LIVE version from the ‘Moonflower’ album. That’s the version I grew up listening to and I prefer it to the studio recording. (I just came from listening to the ‘Moonflower’ version at YouTube and found quite a few commenters there saying that they also prefer that particular live version to the original studio take.)
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For me, if it’s Gato versus Santana’s ‘Moonflower’ recording of ‘Europa’, my vote goes to Carlos. But Santana’s studio rendition versus Gato’s, now that changes things for me.
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As far as instruments in general go, I prefer the tenor sax to the electric guitar. And I love Gato’s emotionally intense style of guttural playing. So I think, in this particular match-up, I’ll... go with Gato. To my own surprise, I am voting for Gato (because he’s not going up against Santana’s live version from ‘Moonflower’). 
~ D-FensDogG 

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Well, in *this* Battle, which DID use Santana's more lyrical and soaring live version of the song, I voted for Carlos over Gato. Nevertheless, the Battle was WAY CLOSER than I thought it might be. John was right about that:
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Carlos Santana = 10 votes
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Gato Barbieri = 7 votes
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In The Battle Within The Battle, The Magic 8-Ball (13-7) was wrong and The Amazing Sixwell (14-6) was right. (And now it begins...) 
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I hope you will all be here again for my February 1st BOTB installment... even if I'm NOT.  
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy 
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