Get ready as the legendary
Carlos Santana and his incredible musicians prepare to raise the roof at the Acer Arena on Friday the 25th of March.
While those who are old enough will know his music well from the late 60s and early 70s, younger audiences too have come to love his sounds after he teamed up, in the late 90s, with Rob Thomas and a bunch of other incredible musicians, like Everlast, Lauryn Hill, Eagle-Eye Cherry and Eric Clapton, to create
Supernatural, a hit album that roared up the charts and introduced a new generation to his musical mastery.
Take a listen to his hit track,
Smooth. I mean, how smooth is that! It makes me want to pack my best dancing shoes and head for, mmm, maybe the bars of Barcelona.
Santana has picked up 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, testament to his ability to 'speak to' audiences through the generations – a test that sets the great apart from the simply good.
My daughter, who's in her early 20s, frequently pinches my Santana CDs, has lots of Santana songs on her ipod and can't stay still to
Maria, Maria. How cool is that! She also loved the Santana concert I took her to in Melbourne when she was about 18 – a rarity I think that two generations can share some of the same music with equal passion. That's Santana for you.
His range of music is quite incredible. Just take a look at some of the
albums he's made.
If you click on an album, you can hear some lyrics from each song – a great way to explore the breadth of talent of this Mexican-American, who, according to Wikipedia, "pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion. The band's sound featured his melodic, blues-based guitar lines set against Latin and African rhythms featuring percussion instruments such as timbales and congas not generally heard in rock music."
That said, you're really better off just hearing and feeling the music. Take a listen to this infectious party track,
Foo Foo.
And here are a couple of his early classic masterpieces from the days of Woodstock and his first album Soul Sacrifice. Take a
listen to
Black Magic Woman and
Oye Como Va.
If something more romantic floats your boat, how about the beautiful
You Are My Kind. It's from his Shaman album, one of the many to follow the record-breaking Supernatural album that re-launched his career.
Whether in the mood to laugh, dance, sing, chill out or cry, Santana has something for every occasion. In fact, I even listen to him when I write – like right now!
Some tickets are available at
Ticketek, with better (more expensive) tickets available from
ebay.
