Santana :: Essays Papers

SantanaAll the world knows the special magic of Carlos Santana as expressed through his music and his guitar playing, which is among the most distinctive and recognizable in all music. His is a tone of vibrant energy that bathes the human soul and awakens the unconscious spirit. The spirit of truth, the spirit of Brotherhood. In every performance, Carlos shares with his audience a person-to-person communication that crosses all boundaries and differences, and makes all people, one people, one family. Carlos music embodies a living heritage of music and family. The Brothers album (on Island Records), described as a counterpane of musical treats and surprises, has Carlos sharing the spotlight with two special guitarists - brother, Jorge Santana, and nephew Carlos Hernandez in his recording debut. In SACRED FIRE, a 97 minute video and 13-song CD released by Polydor in 1993, Carlos captured the tempestuousness and spirit of his live concerts in Mexico and South America with a mix of h is biggest hits as well as some antecedently unrecorded material. In LIVE FOREVER, the debut release on his Guts & Grace label, Carlos paid his respects to some contemporaries whose spirits stay on to provide musical inspiration for us all. The CD includes songs by Jimi Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, Stevie Ray Vaughan and John Coltrane. Each of these three projects offers a glimpse, an added dimension, of a soul that has affected millions around the world. Carlos was introduced to traditional music by his father, Jose. An accomplished mariachi violinist and experienced musician, he taught Carlos the basics of music theory and gave him an understanding of the value of a note. Although Carlos excitement for music would be sparked by his first experience, he quickly discovered the limits of its traditional form and wanted more. Carlos wanted to play the kind of music that was weft the radio waves and making people dance. Tijuana, 1955. The music was rock n roll. The drastic change of moving from the small, quiet town of Autlan to the humming, thriving boom town of Tijuana brought a renew hope and opportunity for a new life. Both for Carlos and his family. The eight-year old Carlos quickly left the violin for the guitar, studying and emulating the sounds of B.B. King, T-Bone Walker and John Lee Hooker. Soon he was being asked to join local bands like the T.J.s, where he added a unique touch and feel to his own renditions of all the great songs of the 1950s.