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Santana

Santana image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
November
Year
1974
OCR Text

Santana, "Borboletta, "Columbia PC 33135.
Santana is the only group, outside the Who, that appeared at Yasgur's farm summer of '69 and has not gone down the drain musically. This is due to Carlos Santana's continuing musical education, as well as to the intense energy of the musical community he owes his roots to.
Santana used to jam with Al Kooper and Buddy Miles, then he met Mahavishnu John McLaughlin and Sri Chinmou and through the Sri he met Alice Coltrane, and got into the late Trane's music. The band refuses to stand still and rest on a winning formula, constant experimentation being the rule, not the exception. From the first album, which was rock & roll with timbales, to Abraxas, which was a stunning example of what Latin Rock could be, was a giant step.
With Caravanserai they established themselves as a group that could be both rhythmically imperative and texturally complex. But it was Welcome, with its Coltrane compositions, with its guest appearances by Leon Thomas and Flora Purim, that brought Santana to its maturity. It was awe-inspiring in its electric beauty; putting jazz and rock sounds better than 90% of the excurisions into that rarefied stratum. It lacked the old Latino drive to some extent, but otherwise was a truly exhilirating effort.
Borboletta breaks no new ground; it regroups without retreat. As on Welcome, there is beautifully blended music here with sweet jazz stylings, but there is a healthy transfusion of drive. Mike Shrieve and Chepito Areas (with Airto on several cuts) provide a polyrhythmic background and Tom Coster on keyboards and Carlos on guitar provide the melodic counterpoints.

Balance is the keystone to Santana - vocal against instrumental, lush counterpoised to biting, solo weighted against solo. There is a concern for music which transcends ego; the songs are all in a deeply spiritual vein. While it is difficult to pinpoint highlights on Borboletta, both "Life is Anew" and "Give and Take" are gems, and the latter features a haunting sax solo. Side two has an extended jam with constant surprises, and closes with the title cut, nothing but voices and percussion, which paints a vivid picture. All in all, Borboletta is an uplifting experience, spiritual and musical flight.

-- Paul Grant