Viewpoint by: Sheldon T. Nunn
For more than 40 years, Carlos Augusto Alves Santana has pushed the
envelope of rock guitar by melding blues, jazz fusion, R&B and salsa into a
level of creativity that has been seldom paralleled by any other musician of his
generation. As a Grammy Award-winning musician and Latin-rock guitarist, Santana
has epitomized the sound of music by blending the elements of varying styles
into one unique component. His approach to his craft is well known and
documented; yet even by today’s standards, Carlos Santana continues to re-invent
himself by crossing endless boundaries of cultural influences. As a musical
icon, his status amongst his world-class fans is immeasurable; however, even in
the midst of his iconic fame, Carlos remains humble and reserved in his quest to
be one of the great innovators of our time. Although Santana has been duly
anointed as a rock guitarist, his music transcends the limitations of any
particular genre and he definitely operates outside the commonality of just
another guitarist.
Born July 20, 1947 in Autlan de Navarro, Mexico, Carlos began his musical
journey at age five in learning to play the violin. As the son of a prominent
Mariachi violinist, it seemed only the natural of things to come for him to
follow in the footsteps of his father. After moving to Tijuana, Mexico a number
of years later, Carlos transferred his violin education to an ongoing and highly
evolved pursuit of the guitar. As he perfected his skills, Santana drew upon the
talents of John Lee Hooker, T. Bone Walker and B.B. King for inspiration.
Ultimately, these three blues musicians would always serve as his heroes as he
moved onward and upward across the musical expanse of creativity. While living
in Mexico, Carlos would spend countless hours listening to powerful radio
stations broadcasting in the United States in order to gain additional exposure
to varying guitar chords and riffs. What he heard and learned from these early
encounters would later develop into the most recognized sound in the annals of
contemporary music, which has been described as a clean fluid-like high-pitched
guitar line with a backdrop of percussive Latin rhythms. In 1961, Carlos moved
to San Francisco, California where he began to pursue a new level of
illumination that would lay the framework for the highest level of acceptance.
The exploration and pursuit of new and different ways to combine his myriad of
influences and meld them into an individualized patented approach would set the
stage for everything imaginable domestically, internationally and cosmically. At
various times during Carlos’ career, especially at the peak of his live
performances, his sound has often been labeled interplanetary.
The sixties were a time of change in the overall music industry. There was
the British invasion of the Beatles, Rolling Stones and a host of other creative
forces driving the entire scene in a new direction. In the United States and
especially so in the Bay Area things were flipping in much the same way with
groups like the Jimmy Hendrix Experience, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, and
others. By 1969, Santana had moved beyond the confines of the San Francisco Bay
Area music scene with his band the Santana Blues Band. Members of the group
included Tom Frazier, Mike Carabello, Rod Harper and Gregg Rolie. Appearances on
the Ed Sullivan Show and at the 1969 Woodstock Festival culminated with the
release of his first album entitled ‘Santana,’ which announced to the
world that the era of Carlos Santana had been launched and was now in geocentric
orbit. Since those humble beginnings, Santana has released more than 35 solo
albums, or has produced, collaborated and played with numerous artists during
his 40-plus years as a guitarist. Recordings such as ‘Abraxas,’
‘Welcome,’ ‘Marathon,’ ‘Blues for Salvador’ and all his
other albums have garnered Santana numerous accolades and successes. One
recording in particular that was released in 1999 entitled ‘Supernatural’
sold more than 90 million albums and received a record tying nine Grammy Awards
for a single project. Carlos has also won three Latin Grammy Awards in other
categories and took home another trophy in 2001 for the single entitled “The
Game of Love” from the ‘Shaman’ CD. His latest release for Arista
Records entitled ‘All That I Am’ is Santana’s 38th album. This is another
groundbreaking effort containing numerous collaborations with a very diverse
group of artists. Included are the talents of Los Lonely Boys, Mary J. Blige,
Steve Tyler of Aerosmith and Joss Stone, which provides a collaborative flow
with a special twist. On one track entitled “I Don’t Wanna Lose Your
Love,” Carlos and Los Lonely Boys add the influences of Tex Mex to an
alternating rock rhythm style; a situation that was very exciting for Santana,
seeing as how he loves to bring a level of diversity to his music. As one
examines the overall impact Santana has had on the music industry as a whole,
his status as the consummate crossover having mass appeal is without
question.
Carlos Santana’s ability to transcend the boundaries of his humble beginnings
has long since carried over into his music. As a trendsetter, Santana
speaks a message that translates on levels easily communicated
along cultural lines. No matter what the musical influence is, Carlos’ ideas
somehow come together in keeping with his Latin heritage. In addition, his
trademark sound compliments the very essence of his musical landscape in a
manner whereas mosaic references he has already created provide a continuous map
for future journeys. His guitar lines are snapshots of his spiritual excursion
through life, yet he operates on a plane that allows him to have a vision of
what comes next. When examining 40 years of excellence, anyone within earshot of
Carlos Santana will become a fan at the onset of his or her first encounter. The
iconic stature of Carlos Santana is well known; however, the true nature of what
we can expect from him as an artistic creative genius continues to be an ever
evolving possibly. The only thing anyone can do is wait for what comes next from
music’s premier guitarist.
Photo by: © Hal Miller
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