Carlos Santana has been the face of the SANTANA - a band whose music uniquely blends Latin-infused rock, jazz, blues, salsa and African rhythms. On his 69th birthday today, we celebrate his unique sound that transcends all languages.
Music indeed goes beyond language... as is evident in this song, that I first saw on a Pepsi commercial in the '90s. Jingo (Jingo La-Ba) was originally composed by Nigerian percussionist Babatunde Olatunji.
Another great from the same era is Tito Puente's Latin classic 'Oye Como Va' which has been transformed by the sound of SANTANA.
Both those songs were recorded before I was born. But my best experience of the Santana sound has been 'Supernatural' - the 1999 collaboration album with a revival guitar sound that won him 9 Grammy Awards including 'Album of the Year' and 'Best Rock Album'.
You can actually hear the Carlos Santana fingerprints on all of his songs. Close your eyes, turn the sound up loud, and move to the vibe of 'Maria Maria'.
My favorite Santana track is his collaboration with Rob Thomas (of Matchbox Twenty).
I've recorded a cover of 'Smooth' a while ago. Need to dig up my files and upload it to Soundcloud sometime soon.
The Scintillating Sound of Santana is tattoed on my brain for sure... What about yours?
The Scintillating Sound of Santana is tattoed on my brain for sure... What about yours?
No comments:
Post a Comment