Record of the day: Santana, “Abraxas”

Santana
“Abraxas” (CD Columbia/Legacy 489543-2)

One can rightly criticize the bad taste and artistic decadence of some of the later production of guitarist Carlos Santana, but it is undeniable that the first three albums of his group (published between 1969 and 1971) still constitute a formidable testimony to the energy that this band was able to produce thanks to its mix of Latin music, rock, jazz and psychedelia.

Made by very young musicians (average age twenty-two) who gravitated around the San Francisco area, these records
they retain intact the rhythmic exuberance of the moment in which they were born; during their concerts, Santana often produced very long jam sessions where the leader’s guitar (far from being a virtuoso of the instrument) managed to unleash scorching solos that attempted to reconcile the electric saturations of Jimi Hendrix with Latin melody and the suggestions of the blues.

The band was full steam ahead, supported by the talented drummer Michael Shrieve and the percussionist José «Chepito» Areas, tireless masters of rhythms who drew from Africa and Cuba while at the same time looking carefully at the records of Miles Davis’ electric period (in particular “In a Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew”). Gregg Rolie’s incandescent Hammond and Dave Brown’s bass completed the picture of “Abraxas”, the group’s second album, which included very famous songs such as “Samba Pa Ti” and “Se a Cabo” along with covers of songs as diverse as “Black Magic Woman” by Peter Green and “Oye Como Va” by Tito Puente.

The taste for stylistic contamination that Santana energetically carried forward fully reflected the climate of enthusiasm and sharing that dominated the San Francisco scene at the time, bringing with it echoes of the previous Summer of Love.
Together with Santana, musicians such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver Messenger Service laid the foundations for a new style that encompassed dozens of different musical influences, a true melting pot that sought to break down stylistic barriers and that still manages to convince after all these years.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical subjects.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: Un disco per ogni giorno dell’anno” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.