Rock guitarist Carlos Santana in action tonight
By Oscar Motuloh
JAKARTA (JP): Carlos Santana, a veteran rock guitarist, will perform at the Jakarta Convention Center tonight. The concert will round off a series of international superstar performances in the capital, such as Deep Purple, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger, Metallica, Yngwie Malmsteen and Sting.
Santana, a living legend from Flower Power days, still delivers music of quality that captivates a much younger generation who is drawn to the din of rock, thrash, grunge and rap.
His first album, Santana, was launched in October 1969. Since then he has released 22 albums, including seven solo endeavors and his latest Brothers in 1994.
Billboard's Joel Whitburn said that Santana's hard work resulted in nine platinum disks and 14 gold records. After nearly three decades of making music, Carlos Santana made his debut at rock music's pinnacle of popularity. The Santana music group was established in hippy town, San Fransisco.
With his concept of special music, he rapidly became the main pillar of the Sound of San Francisco, strengthening other music groups who saw the light of day before his. They are the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Big Brothers Holding Company and the Steve Miller Band.
Sound of San Francisco became the main stream of rock in the USA of the 60s. Other rock concepts of importance were Texas, Memphis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Manhattan, Hollywood and Southern Rock.
Soul of Blues
Santana's music wave incited a sea of noise in rock music with their colorful music concept. Carlos infused life into Latin rock, added spice to the throbbing sounds of Afro-Cuban music, then blended it with a strain of Jamaican folk music and a touch of jazz.
The whining sound of his guitar tinged with a strain of blues is a joy to the ear of rock nuts.
Rock critic Dave Marsh of Rolling Stone magazine commented that the roots of blues can be found in the soul of Santana. Its musical expression pithed in the despairing wails of America's black population, is at the base of Santana's music.
Santana admitted in an interview with James Schaefer from Downbeat, a contemporary American magazine, that his interest in blues stemmed from his fascination for the Kings (including BB King, Albert King and Freddie King).
Santana, who was born in Autlan, Mexico, on July 20, 1947, was never a stranger to the music world. His father, grandfather and great grandfather were Mexican music buffs. Jose Santana, his father, taught him to play the violin when he was seven. "But, the guitar and saxophone, held more appeal to me," he said. Only in 1955, when his family moved to Tijuana, did Santana decide to change his violin for the guitar.
At a border town he met Javiar Batiz, an expert in guitar music who introduced him to the music concepts of BB, Freddie and Albert King, Little Richard, Bobby Bland and Ray Charles.
In 1966, Santana moved to San Fransisco. In the center of the hippy community he started to court fame and fortune and attended his first performance of his idol, BB King.
After that he planned to form his own group, and invited his friend, Gregg Rolie, a keyboard player, to set up together with him the band of his dreams. In the end, together with Tom Frazer (second guitarist), David Brown (bass), Rod Harper (drums), Santana proclaimed the birth of the Carlos Santana Blues Band.
They tried their luck in several insignificant clubs in Frisco. For starters they staged several Beatles and the Rolling Stones covers, both of who were new to U.S.
After a period of hard times the group was invited to the Woodstock music fest in August 1969 before Columbia recorded their work for the first time with percussionists Mike Carabello and Jose "Chepito" Areas.
The group later trimmed their name down to Santana. Their first album and the solo record Evil Ways and Persuasion promptly made it to the top of the Billboard charts, making a huge impression in the world of rock.
What followed was the success story of Santana under the management of Bill Graham.
Santana became a phenomenon in their own right. Afro-Cuban music, which until then was played by conventional musician, Tito Puente, returned in all its former glory.
The second album, Abraxas, was hit in October 1970. Abraxas revived three musical numbers, Oye Como Va (Tito Puente), Black Magic Woman (Peter Green) and Gypsy Queen (Gabor Szabo) which became later Santana's trademark, as it is performed without fail at each of their concerts.
Santana III, released in October 1971, was his third album. Seven albums followed in close succession after that, Caravanserai in November 1972, Welcome in November 1973, Borboletta, October 1974, Lotus, a live performance in December 1975, Amigos, March 1976, Festival, December 1976 and Moonflower also a live performance in September 1977. Then came a time that his music switched to Latin beat fusion.
Identity crisis
It is to be regretted that four albums that followed, like Inner Secrets in October 1978, Marathon in September 1979, Zebob, March 1981 and Shango August 1982, were downgraded as banal sounds as the music group was obviously undergoing an identity crisis.
Only after the release of their album Beyond Appearances in February 1985, did they re-discover themselves. Six albums, Freedom, February 1987, Viva Santana performed live in October 1988, Spirits Dancing In The Flesh, June 1990, Milagro, February 1992, Sacred Fire, live, in 1993, led Santana back to their former niche.
Members of the Santana group came and went, but Neal Schon (guitarist, vocals), Armando Peraza, James Mingo Lewis, Mike Escovedo, Raul Rekow and Lenny White (percussion), Tom Coster, Chester Thompson (keyboard) and Greg Walker, Alex Ligertwood (lead vocalist), all grew with the band.
The latest album recorded by his own company, containing Guts and Grace Music, was later renamed into Brothers (1994). Santana made the album with his brother, Jorge, and a nephew, guitarist Carlos Hernandez.
He also launched a number of solo albums in the early years that drew generally positive reviews. They were preceded by the album Live with Buddy Miles in August 1972. While producing Love, Devotion and Surrender with John McLaughlin in July 1973, Santana joined the spiritual sect of Sri Chinmoy whose head office was located in New York. He added another name to his original one, Devadip, meaning "light of an immortal ray".
Devadip Carlos Santana then proceeded to release Illuminations with the widow of John Coltrane, Alice. In July 1974, Oneness, Silver Dream-Golden Reality was released with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Ron Carter, February 1980.
After Havana Moon with Willie Nelson, Booker T. and Fabulous Thunderbirds, April 1983, he dropped the Devadip, putting a temporary end to his solo period with Blues for Salvador made with Chester Thompson and Tony Williams in 1989. The album was loaded with lyrics related to the human aspect.
Act Of Devotion
Santana revealed that BB King made an important impact on his music while he thought of great jazz saxophonist, John Coltrane, as a spiritual instructor.
Several discussions with Coltrane influenced his outlook on life, he realized then that music was like an act of devotion, a prayer, to him. Coltrane was the person who introduced eastern philosophy to Carlos. Coltrane's album of jazz, a monumental achievement, packed with spiritual values, Love Supreme, became the leading light for Carlos that dominated his individual work.
Santana's spiritual inclination also made him notice famed soul singer, Aretha Franklin's gospel album, Amazing Grace.
"Grace," said Santana, "is the transformation of a noble piece, it is far removed from a mere piece of music." His observations of Supreme and Grace made him sensitive to human problems as reflected in the Santana albums and in his solo work. They mostly contain a blend of unity, character strength, accompanied with powerful lyrics in which affection is equally divided between patrons and the little man of the street.
The human aspect became Santana's trademark, as they keep on lambasting violence and greed with their lyrics. Strong feelings in this aspect, moved Santana to set up a social institute propagating peace and human independence. Pioneers of the human tradition are, George Harrison, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Jimmy Hendrix, Bob Marley and Peter Gabriel, followed by a younger generation as Bob Geldof, Sting and Carlos.
In his album Blues for Salvador and Milagros, Santana rebuked authority with the number Free All The People (South Africa.) His lyrics were cutting: Freedom is Birthright/Given by God to Man/You Cannot Claim It/This You Must Understand. Or, in his number, Life is for Living, which is an appeal to stop the civil war.
Life is for Living
Why must we wait
We all need some lovin
Then why do we hate?
Santana lives with his family in San Raphael near San Fransisco. He spends his days with the family, taking care of the social institute, while writing music constantly.
Santana will be an ever constant presence, his melodies shall flow forever, as well as the sound of his guitar, appealing to the world for freedom, as in the number Praise from his album Freedom:
Now is the time for change,
I'm trying to get a higher place,
Life is surrounded by grace'
Let's join together singing song of freedom.