Rock guitarist Carlos Santana in action tonight

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.