Santana

I've been away from my Mexican culture posts, so I turn to Carlos Santana, surely the most successful Mexican rock musician, a guitar virtuoso. He introduced Latin music into rock and roll back in the '60s, wowed at Woodstock, became a classic-rock staple, and decades later, still performing regularly, burst on the scene with an unexpected smash hit.

To get a snapshot listen to Santana, the group that bears his name, I picked up one of those "Essential" recordings, which includes two discs. Like many of them, one disc is great, the other a waste of time. In this case, almost all the good music is on the first disc. The first five tracks are recognizable to anyone of a certain age. The opening is "Jingo," which kicks in with tribal drums and a pounding rhythm. In reading about Santana, he was the first to use traditional Latin instruments, such as timbales and congas, in American rock, and carved a niche for himself. Next up is their top 40 hit "Evil Ways," then "Soul Sacrifice," a burning instrumental and one of the highlights of Woodstock (especially the drumming of 20-year-old Michael Shrieve).

Then comes the song most people probably know Santana for, "Black Magic Woman," written by Peter Green but given a Mexican flavor. Santana's opening guitar solo is likely to induce air guitar, even while you're driving.

Then comes "Oye Coma Va," by mambo king Tito Fuente. The rest of that first disc is one shredding song after another, mostly instrumentals, or songs with minimal lyrics (Santana is no poet): "Toussaint l'Overture," "Guajira," and "La Fuente Del Ritmo." Santana's guitar work is highlighted, of course, but also the percussion--I'm a sucker for rock music that emphasizes drumming.

The second disc is a big let-down. In the late '70s and early '80s, Santana became just another cheesy rock outfit. The Latin influence was gone, and they sounded not that much different from Loverboy or Survivor. Songs "You Know That I Love You," "All I Ever Wanted," and "Hold On" are as boring as their titles. One song I recognized: "Winning," from 1980. If I had to guess the artist on that one I would have named about a thousand other bands before I got to Santana. It is catchy, though; I found it in my head several times over the last few days.

Not included on this collection is "Smooth," the song that earned Santana, as a solo artist, a truck full of Grammys. He collaborated with Rob Thomas, and it's a pretty good song, with a Latin flavor, despite Thomas' white bread appeal.

It was recently announced that Carlos Santana will be awarded the Kennedy Center Honors, a nice move that may have been instigated by a call for more Latino representation. I imagine on the night of the event we will hear some hip-shaking music, performed by a legion of musicians, especially guitarists, who have been influenced by the master himself.