Carlos Santana, an innovator who mixed an Afro-Cuban Latin style with rock 'n' roll, is highlighted in a new boxed-set release in the Legacy series from Columbia Records, "Dance of the Rainbow Serpent."
Santana, who along with the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane put San Francisco on the music map during the Haight-Ash-bury period in the mid-1960s, is a revered musician in jazz, blues and Latin circles around the world.And his band was also the launching pad for another very successful 1980s rock band. Guitarist Neal Schon and original keyboardist Gregg Rolie were pulled away by Santana's man-ager/roadie Herbie Herbert to create Journey.
But connections and rifts aside . . . let's get back to the music.
"Dance of the Rainbow Serpent" comprises three CDs featuring songs and instrumental jams that span Santana's 30-year professional career. The individual CDs are in turn aptly named "Heart," "Soul" and "Spirit." And as you'd expect, the music fits each thematic disc.
"Heart" starts off with "Evil Ways" and leaps into "Soul Sacrifice," a piece featured at the first Woodstock festival. The jam-oriented "Black Magic Woman/
Gypsy Queen," which spotlighted Rolie and Schon, comes next and is placed right before "Oye Como Va," the groove originally written by Latin music king Tito Puente.
Other cuts on the 12-song disc include the rocking "Everybody's Everything," the mystical jazz of "Song of the Wind" and a live version of "Troussaint L'Overture," both co-written by Rolie and Schon. The disc ends with a guitar rendition of John Coltrane's "Naima."
"Soul" includes 10 songs from the late '70s and early '80s.
The more electric sounds of "I Love You Much Too Much," "Blues for Salvador" and "Europa" are mixed with contemporary jazz-influenced pieces such as "Aqua Marine," "Bella" and the Greg Walker-fronted "I'll Be Waiting."
The soothing flow of "The River" is a nice selection, as is the funky, Motownlike "Move On." The rock-out flavor of "Open Invitation" closes the disc on a high note, actually pushing the listener into the third and final disc, "Spirit."
On parts of "Spirit," Santana gets back to the Latin groove but mixes in a little electric distortion bite. "All I Ever Wanted" with vocalist Alex Ligertwood can be compared to late Journey or Boston. But when the congas come in, it's clearly Santana.
Previously unreleased "Sweet Black Cherry Pie," from 1990, takes the groove a step further with a stomping back beat and soulful vocal line. Another new selection is the contemporary instrumental "Wings of Grace," previously released only on the "Sacred Fire" video back in 1993.
Also on "Spirit" is the moving "Mudbone," a mellow tune called "The Healer" and "Chill Out (Things Gonna Change)." The latter two feature John Lee Hooker on vocals.
And speaking of guest greats, Vernon Reid appears on Santana's cover of "Every Now and Then," a tune Reid penned.
The disc, and collection overall, ends with the percussion-laden, guitar screaming "This Is This."
"Dance of the Rainbow Serpent" focuses on the Santana's career as a musician, not as a Top 40 hit maker. Tactfully, the singles "Winning" and "Hold On" are left off.
The collection itself is one to covet, but what makes it more inviting is the 58-page booklet that tells of Santana's career history, discography, line-ups and what really happened behind finished songs. Viva Carlos Santana!
RATINGS: four stars (* * * * ), excellent; three stars (* * * ), good; two stars (* * ), fair; one star (* ), poor, with 1/2 representing a higher, intermediate grade.