CARLOS SANTANA

Blues For Salvador is Carlos's solo album from' 87 with assorted musicians not part of his usual Santana band. This is a well produced and expertly played record with Carlos displaying all his signature traits unique to his playing style.The album is largely dedicational "Bella" is a sublime ode to his daughter, "Trane" a nod to "John Coltrane" one of Carlos' main influences, likewise, "Mingus" -a reference to Charlie Mingus and the "Blues for Salvador" is for his son. Overall, he dedicated the album to his wife, Deborah. The only flaw on the album is too many 80s synths, especially when they are combined with the Latin sound and relaxed atmosphere. Overall, "Blues for Salvador is decent and probably the most enjoyable 80s Santana work.

Review #110!

As he began taking an even more jazzy turn to his musical style, Santana became more spiritual. This is evident by the time of 'Caravanserai', but 'Illuminations' is when he finally culminated his new less-latin+jazz+spiritual+groovy sound. The album starts with 'Guru Sin Choy Aphorism', which is basically Carlos making the sound of the universe (om) with some stuff about how love is God at the end. This "song" is only about one minute long, so you don't feel weird for too long. Then there is 'Angel of Air'. It opens with some great flute. After about forty-five seconds other instruments are introduced, creating a beautiful symphony that paves the way for a smooth Santana guitar solo. This feeds into 'Angel of Water with some absolutely mesmerizing instrumentation that genuinely feels like water with flowing, rising and falling intensity. Then the scene changes to a more somber atmosphere. The rising and falling section repeats itself. Then it gets slow again. Guitar and what sounds like harp interplay beautifully, with the orchestra booming in the background. The song ends, leaving you in a trance. 'Bliss: The Eternal Now' starts pretty intense with some odd orchestral instrumentation. There is some great piano, but Carlos is definitely taking the stage with his guitar. Alice Coltrane's harp is beautiful, syncing perfectly in harmony with the orchestra. This song is beautiful. 'The Angel of Sunlight' starts pretty weird. Carlos Santana dominates, but some real odd stuff is going on in the background. I still love it all the way. The song picks up two minutes in; the percussion getting harder, the guitar more aggressive. The scene changes about three minutes in, taking a more funky atmosphere, with aggressive stand-up bass and guitar that pans from left to right, giving a crazy, warped sound to it. About five minutes and a half in, the soprano sax takes the stage, acting like a complete lunatic. Then Alice Coltrane and her Wurlitzer come in, making the scene crazier than ever. Aggressive, confusing, emotional, everything. Damn! Then the sax and the guitar play together and everything just blows you away. I'm getting weak typing this in right now. Then the guitar goes full circle, repeating the opening riff. Damn, this is just so well executed. I can't think of what else to say. 'Illuminations', the closer, takes a different turn, sounding less intense and more romantic. Coltrane's piano and harp, Santana's guitar, and the orchestra take the stage together, each playing every measure in perfect harmony. Coltrane's smooth playing here reminds me of Herbie Hancock and 'Crossings'. Close to the end, the orchestra and harp get a bit crazy, but they return to eternal bliss for the last few notes. Great jazz album, highly recommend. Prog on, jazz on, rock on, funk on.

An impressive meeting of two forces of nature on the guitar. Despite Santana being credited first, McLaughlin really seems to be the one who sets the tone on this album: the abundant references to spirituality and the non-percussive "heavenly" sections where the guitarists play a dozen notes per millisecond on top of celestial keyboard soundscapes often make this feel like a direct continuation of Mahavishnu's Apocalypse. Santana does bring his own flavour into the mix though: the Hammond organ and Latin percussion clearly set this apart from your average Mahavishnu Orchestra release.

The album starts off a bit slow with a not too remarkable version of the first movement from John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme", but it is followed by a beautiful acoustic, re-harmonized version of "Naima" by the same composer. The idyllic nature of this song is then savagely interrupted by the roaring guitar glissandos that lead us into "The Life Divine", a McLaughlin-penned fast-paced fusion waltz with more blistering solos (sometimes augmented with phasing and panning effects so as to feel more disorienting and threatening) and mantric chants (was it a deliberate act of irony to juxtapose these sweet-talking lyrics about the love of God and man on a song that sounds like the Creator smiting our wretched post-rapture earth?). Its successor, another lengthy fusion jam called "Let Us Go Into The House Of The Lord", shows more Latin influence and feels less thundering and more optimistic, but certainly no less powerful. Finally, the album ends on a gentle note with another brief acoustic piece.

I can see why people wouldn't like an album like this: the original compositions are at their core little more than basic two-chord canvases for the guitar players to show off their talents for many, many minutes. It's self-indulgent, it's monotonous, but by Jove, does this level of talent deserve to be self-indulgent and monotonous. Listening to these moto perpetuo licks makes me wish these guys would never stop playing. An excellent use of one's time for any jazz fusion fan, and an essential listen for guitar fanatics.

When we're talking Carlos Santana I have to mention two of my all time favourite records that he helped make special with his guitar work. Those would be "Caravanserai" and "Love Devotion Surrender", the latter with John McLaughlin. This 1974 release features Alice Coltrane who gets equal billing with Carlos. She adds piano and harp while Carlos is mainly guitar of course. Dave Holland is playing bass on four tracks and SANTANA member Tom Coster adds electric piano and Hammond mostly. Jack DeJohnette is on drums and we get flute and soprano sax along with tablas, tamboura and congas. And a lot of strings as in 3 cello players, 5 viola players and 7 violinists.

I'm not big on Alice's stuff for the most part, I mean I've just never been a harp guy. She certainly brings a different flavour to the table, a talented lady. This is a mellow album and I'm just not into it until we get to a song that has a pulse called "Angel Of Sunlight" where Carlos almost breaks a sweat and I love his playing. It opens sounding like an Alice Coltrane record with the tamboura before guitar, tablas and more join in. I like when the guitar starts to get passionate. He then steps aside as soprano sax leads the way before 6 minutes. Sounds like clavinet or some nasty keyboard leading in place of the sax 7 1/2 minutes in. Drums kick in too then sax is back before 10 minutes. Guitar a minute later then a calm 14 minutes in as it ends with tamboura, clashing cymbals and guitar. Man this song is incredible! The rest of the album is sub par, at least for what I'm into. A lot of strings.

I received this album in the mail as the Columbia Record Club's "Record of the Month." I'd heard Santana's hits--even the long versions on our local album-oriented FM station, WABX--and I was already a big fan of Latin rhythms due to my dad's obsession with Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass and Sergio Mendes & Brazil '66--which he blasted on his stereo quite often in the late 60s. But I was not, by any means, prepared for what Love Devotion Surrender unleashed. Even when I saw McLaughlin and his double neck guitar with Mahavishnu Orchestra doing things that I didn't understand on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert later in the year I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. I think this is why this album didn't quite click with me for a while. I listened to it--a lot (I didn't own many albums at this time--though I had a pretty hot Soul/R&B collection in 45s). I always thought that I was listening to two guitarists of two completely different levels of competency. I didn't know Coltrane or his works and had only begun to know some jazz and fusion but loved guitarists (Jeff Beck mostly), so I stuck with it.

After the 70s, the album pretty much fell off my radar. Until a few years ago, I don't think I'd heard it for over 30 years. Now I listen to it with a sense of awe and wonder. I feel so fortunate that we have this testament to the genius and inspiration of all of these masters in their peak years of adventurosity. Larry Young. Dougie Rauch. (Both taken from us far too soon--and both among my very favorite 1970s instrumentalists.) Billy Cobham. Don Alias. Michael Shrieve. Mingo Lewis. Jan Hammer.

The album (and my worship for John McLaughlin) even prompted my visit to Sri Chimnoy's vegan restaurant in Haight Ashbury the first time I ever visited SF.

Now I find myself listening to it multiple times per month. It is, to my mind, to my heart, one of the peak achievements in jazz-rock fusion collaborations. Yes, I wish I had more control of the sound mix (I want so badly to listen to JUST Dougie Rauch and JUST Larry Young and JUST Billy C.) but I'm just so fortunate to have it all that I won't complain. For people in the know, Larry's organ play magically provided a bridge between the two guitarists and their individual styles--with Larry's two hands somehow representing each one of the leaders. But this is difficult for the unschooled, ignorant listener to pick up due partly to the often poor mix of the individual instrumentalists.

1. "A Love Supreme" (7:48) a masterful condensed rendition of the Coltrane classic that does a great job of capturing the essence of the original while being elevated and celebrated by these two spiritually-infused guitarists. The opening alone does an amazing job of announcing what the listener is in for: not your typical Santana album! Organist Khalid Yasim (formerly known as "Larry Young") gets the honor of playing a little while the expanded band takes their time gelling and grooving. Then it's off to the races as John and Carlos take turns of about 10-to-20 seconds each in a noncompetitive duel of ascendent transcendence. The choral chant of the title begins in the sixth minute while Khalid gets another chance to show off his amazing skills. (14/15)

2. "Naima" (3:09) acoustic guitar duets don't get much more beautiful than this. Beautiful respite between the two bookends of Side One. (9.25/10)

3. "The Life Devine" (9:30) the drumming and percussion play on this one is alone worth the price of admission, but then you get John and Carlos--and Larry! and Armando and Mingo--and "the note"! (at the end of the fourth minute). The best engineered (though still lacking) and most fully-invested feeling song of the album. The band was obviously warmed up by this point--and the soloists on firing on all cylinders. (19.5/20)

4. "Let Us Go into the House of the Lord" (15:45) John's domination of the song's first four-minutes is a bit excessive (and selfish?) but he was probably just in "the zone." After this, the song just really kicks in with everybody just smooth-groovin' beneath and with Carlos--until the second half of the sixth minute when Khalid, Billy, Shrieve, and the percussionists start to play. When John re-takes the lead at the end of the seventh minute it is tasteful and only to open the way for Khalid to take off. What a solo! (Too bad his volume is mixed beneath that of the percussion and guitarists playing rhythm chords.) With all that Afro-Latin rhythm around him he probably couldn't help being inspired. It's not until well into the 12th minute that the two guitarists start "duelling" i.e. playing off one another--both displaying incredible moments of tenderness and melodic beauty in their still-fiery play. I really like the extended/prolonged ending. Not the best song on the album--nor the best sound engineering--but still a treasure for capturing these two at this particularly numinous point in both of their lives. (28/30)

5. "Meditation" (2:45) John on gentle piano chord play while Carlos expresses his profound inspiration and gratitude with a steel-string acoustic guitar. I simply can't find a flaw with this one--nor a reason to devalue it as less than a full, completed song composition. (10/10)

Total Time 38:57

I love the beautiful two acoustic pieces--especially John's "Meditation"--and "Let Us Go Into The House of The Lord" may just be my favorite jazz-fusion jam of all-time. And give me those Santana conga and bass lines all day long! I feed off of them!

I love the beautiful two acoustic pieces--especially John's "Meditation" and "Let Us Go Into The House of The Lord" may just be my favorite jazz-fusion jam of all-time. And give me those Santana conga and bass lines all day long! I feed off of them!

A/five stars; I have absolutely no reservations about proclaiming this album, flawed as it may be, a masterpiece of progressive rock music and a pinnacle and landmark of the jazz-rock fusion "movement."

Perhaps the most unexpected Santana album of the 70's and miles away from the typical Santana rock sound, this effort is highly experimental, fuzzy and free riding. On board are exotic instruments like harp, saxophones and keyboards. It's a spiritual work full of ecstasy and I am glad that apart from the Santana keyboard player, also some pure jazz musicians joined the board.

There are some more quiet and meditative moments in the beginning and end. There is one single track that is worth all the album, namely the 15-minute "Angel of sunlight" that boasts guitar/saxophone frenzy and crazy jazz psychedelic drumming.

This is a perfectly balanced album of reflective moments and mighty fusion but it is an acquired taste for most of the Santana fans and thus not for everybody. 1974 was the last very strong year for Santana!

Two guitar masters meet at this unexpected record. Two historically quite different guitar players including their bands. Latin meets acid/fusion raweness combined with spirituality and emotions which is something that is sometimes missing from Mahavishnu Orchestra records. Thematically, there are original compositions by McLaughlin as well as Coltrane's reworked works. Though the songs are somewhat repetitive, emotions and jamming abilities let them flow naturally and discover new spiritual and music levels. You can immediately discern fusion guitar with blitzful runs and Santana's rock emotional guitar and their tandem is a new experience for any fan of them. Larry Young's Hammond organ glues them together with a lot of tact. Percussions and drums give most of time a Latin feeling. "Love supreme" is a great highlight giving both guitarists and Young enough space to stretch. "Naima" is a beautiful acoustic guitar number without any other instruments - time for meditation as well as on "Meditation". "The live divine" is the most intensive number and closest to Mahavishnu orchestra, not only distorted guitars are great, also drumming is out of this space. A highly recommended album and one of its kind in the music universe,

By this point Carlos Santana was a disciple of Sri Chinmoy, a spiritual leader of rather dubious distinction (the back cover shows him with this grin on his face that makes him seem a bit shady). John McLaughlin introduced Satana to Chinmoy, so it's little surprise that they'd make an album together, with the help of many Mahavishnu Orchestra members, including Jan Hammer and Billy Cobham, with other musicians like Larry Young (sounding a bit like Gregg Rolie), Doug Rauch (bassist for Santana around the same time period) , and others. Jan Hammer only plays drums here (he's fully capable of drums, just listen to Like Children, his 1974 collaboration with Jerry Goodman to prove he's as comfortable with drums as with keyboards).

You know this isn't your typical hitmaking Santana album. It's often closer to Mahavishnu Orchestra than it is to Santana, but you'll still find Latin rhythms. The first two songs are John Coltrane songs, the first being "A Love Supreme", actually it should have been entitled "Acknowledgement", since it's the first song off A Love Surpreme. The original is piano and sax, and there is a vocal passage that repeats "A love supreme" over and over. This version, obviously is done in '70s fusion stlyle, with electric guitars and a more rock approach. The vocal passage is intact. "Naimi" is the second Coltrane song, the original appearing on his 1959 album Giant Steps. This version is modernized, but still calm and relaxed. "The Life Divine" is insanely intense and it really blew me away. There's also a repeating vocal line and I really dig Larry Young's organ playing, sounds like a spacier version of Gregg Rolie. "Let us Go into the House of the Lord" is a church song, so I often wondered what a Christian song is doing on an album done by two disciples of Sri Chinmoy. Probably due to the spiritual nature. This version, though, is all-instrumental, and honestly it sounds like an instrumental Santana song, has that similar Santana vibe going on, including Latin rhythms. "Meditation" is a short, calm piece, which makes sense, to close the album.

I remembered Rolling Stone panning this album. If memory serves, this was given a one star rating on the Rolling Stone Record Guide in the 1979 edition. I can understand where they may come from, though, because it might have seemed to their ears nothing more than a guitar wankfest, wishing for something on the line of the first three Santana albums, or more ensemble playing like from Mahavishnu Orchestra. And sure, I wouldn't recommend Love, Devotion, Surrender to those who dislike the more technical side of musicianship, but to me the power and mindblowing intensity really makes this album great. Billy Cobham proves, once again, to be a fusion powerhouse (although he shares drum duties also with Jan Hammer and Don Alias). I may not recommend this album to everyone, but I enjoy it, and it's really up to you to decide.

LOVE DEVOTION SURRENDER is a collaboration of two of the greatest guitarists of the early 70s namely CARLOS SANTANA and JOHN McLAUGHLIN. This is one of those spiritual albums that was inspired by their religious guru Sri Chinmoy, whom both men studied under. The album was also supposed to be a tribute to John Coltrane which has reworkings of two of Coltrane's compositions. This era also marks the period where both guitarists were undergoing profound changes in their musical realties. SANTANA was struggling to find a way to move his music which took a good start with his own "Caravanserai" and McLAUGHLIN was on the verge of the Mahavishnu Orchestra imploding.

I have heard about this album for a while and it has always intrigued me because it sounds like it should be one of the most anticipated collaborations in musical history, but after trying to get into this album there are a few things that are going on here, or not going on as the case may be. I feel this album lacks is a true musical direction. The tributes to Coltrane are interesting and they, to my ears, the most interesting pieces on this album, but the rest of the tracks sound more like a battle for dominance than a true merging of talents. Tracks either sound like a Caravanserai era SANTANA song with McLAUGHLIN frenetically going off over it or some kind of jazz-fusion piece that McLAUGHLIN came up with verging on the over sentimental. Point blank, there is NOTHING on this album that even comes close to what these two had done with their bands in the previous years. Still though, it is a pleasant enough listen despite being a disappointment but hardly an album you should sell your kidneys over.

A first time studio collaboration between two "enlightened" and virtuous guitar players, playing a cheerful and full of a "show of hands" rendition of John Coltrane's 1964, own kind of prayer , which went by the name of "A Love Supreme".

The best part, besides the obvious intention of the concept, is precisely the "clash" of styles, the "original" composition diversifies into. Somehow the album launches from there to a variety of songs, that some are independent of Coltrane's composition and highlight themselves because of the same. These songs in turn, make this work, sound richer in musical ideas and approaches.

A well balanced combination between Santana's "latin" flavor blended with the "all converted" Indo/Raga/Jazz of McLaughlin's "transformed" guitar and his approach of playing. Both musicians respect each other, but the "concept" and orientation of the music they emulate (religious like), has as a performing requirement, to be played with the innermost "JOY" you are able to achieve.

So, expect a show of hands, a blend of styles, a focused concept and goal, that although it could be tendentious by them or pre-judiced by new listeners, it is neither exclusive nor pretentious. In fact the Jazz tagging helps, considering, it contains a fair amount of impro like heartfelt, energetic performances by every member of the ensemble (lots of percussions).

I might even think, John Coltrane will happily approve on, these guitarist's rendition of his famous recording. ....I myself still hold it in my music collection. ****4 PA stars.