Search - Carlos Santana :: Love Devotion Surrender

Spiritual Santana

Enrique Torres | San Diegotitlan, Califas | 01/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc is an absolute knock out. The music has withstood the test of time, the lp in vinyl form was released in 1973 as a departure from the gold lined, glittering road of commercial success that Santana had paved. Dissapointing to many, a revelation to others, this lp at the time was met with great skeptimism and controversy. Afer all how could someone duplicate John Coltrane's suite, "A Love Supreme? " What was Santana doing with another guitar player, and not just any guitar player but John MCLaughlin. And who was the Eastern fellow in the robe? And why did he look so different and what was up with the white oufits? The answers were in the music and Santana was definitely on a journey or a spiritual quest . The attempt to record "A Love Supreme," still fresh in the minds of jazz heads as the one of the ultimate Trane compositions that had religious qualites besides outstanding technique and tremendous exploration seeemd almost blasphemous. Santana and McLaughlin's version is a jazz-rock fusion masterpiece where the guitar solos are presented in blistering fashion at a frenetic pace that was otherworldly, almost to the point of inhuman speed and dexerity as though the other side were intervening to guide the then young muscians along the righteous path. Beginning with the faster than the speed of light fret work slowed down by the organ tempo to Trane' s "ta-ta ta tah" melody only to be pushed further along, at a blazing guitar pace that is (was)like to two gunslingers firing endless rounds of ammo from a machine gun. The lightining pace slows and builds several times in an expressive recreation of the spiirt of Trane, free flowing improvisation kept in check by the lyrical beauty of "A Love Supreme." It is a beautiful thing. Another John Coltrane composition is presented which also happens to be one of my favorite(like anybody cares)Trane tunes entitled "Naima. " The guitarists trade in their electric guitar speed for a softer with less edge melody that is soothing and lovely much like the original by Trane. It is one of the most beautiful jazz ballads ever written and performed with exquisite tenderness and respect. In a sense this was (is) a tribute disc , a further exploration of the spiritual path through music, breaking the chains and confinement of commercial success to make a musical statement graced in light and love along the lines of what Trane did when he recorded "A Love Supreme". There is(was) nothing irreverent here but rather Santana was(is) paying homage. Take a look at the names of the songs. "Let Us Go into the House of the Lord," Meditation" and "The Divine Life." Santana was leaving and anyone who wanted to see where he was going could go or compare notes from their own experiences. The guitar work by both of thee guys was(is) just amazing. The interchange , from one channel to the other is unGodly or better yet, inspired by God. There is just enough variety in terms of fast guitar work and slower accoustic sounds to create a balance. However the interchange between the two guitarists is absolutely incredible and not to be missed if you like rock guitar. For that matter the whole set of musicians is like an allstar cast with Billy Cobham and Jan Hammer sharing the drum roles along with Don Alias. The stellar cast further includes th late Armando Peraza on congas and James (Mingo) Lewis on percussion. If you are rebuilding your collection or rediscovering your musical treasures add this one to the collection. If you are new to Santana and keep reading old grey beards refer to his older albums that were better, than this might one of those. Not for everyone but surely for those that appreciate outstanding inspired guitar work with only hints of the Latinesque elements often associated with Carlos Santana."

Better Than Remembered

Michael S. Smith | Dansville, NY United States | 10/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a treat to have this album available in a "new" package. For once, the additional tracks enhance the collection rather than just adding a few insights into the recording process or the cultural context of the time. When this album was first released on vinyl, I was a bit disappointed as I was such a fan of Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" - and I was acutely aware of the comparison. With the passage of time, this album stands on its own - as more than an homage - and as more than an example of a rock musician attempting to stretch his personal music boundaries. Carlos Santana presents an act of courage here and we are its benefactors. He was to continue in this vein for a few more exquisite albums ("Welcome" and "Borboretta" especially), before returning to a more "commercial" sound.
One more thought before I end - How About A Reunion?????"

They say: "Never Judge a Book By it's Cover".....

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 11/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If ever there was a case to not 'Judge a book by its Cover', it'd be this album. A dubious looking photograph of 'Carlos Santana' & 'John McLaughlin'. Two of the most recognised and accomplished guitarist that the Jazz-rock field (McLaughlin), and Latin-rock (Santana), seemingly looking like something out of a bad clothes catalogue brochure. I myself admit, that I saw this album in my second-hand music store for months, with the cover being enough to (wrongly) convince me that this was some ill-conceived 'Vanity' project for both artists, and where the music would be one long ego trip for both musicians involved. But if you are prepared to look past the initially off-putting cover, you'll actually discover (like I did), an album that remarkably isn't mentioned more widely when referring to either artists work. Maybe this is possibly because it's more likely considered an album of music, that merely takes the existing work of 'John Coltrane' & 'Pharoah Sanders', and reinterprets them, into stunning Jazz-Rock, Fusion & Latin rock tracks, rather than an original body of work.



John Coltrane's legendary signature track "A Love Supreme" is cast within an elaborate and fiery burst of sophisticated Jazz-rock improvisations, that remain dynamic and wonderfully capture the energy of John original work, and although hearing the work, reinterpreted via the use of guitars is at first intitally disorientating, repeated listens reveal a understanding and complete respect for the original work and yet somehow manages to offer something new, in that the influence of jazz-influenced improvisation runs strong through, but that it's matched with precision elements of studious rock compostion, that only guitarist's (or indeed musicians), of this calibre could so wonderfully balance. and more importantly neither musician, dominates the music with their contributions, and instead draw on that level of studied passionate spirituality, that made up such a large part of Coltrane's later work, and when the vocal chants of "A Love Supreme" begin to waft into view, it all begins to feel like a fantastically explored progressive sound, that you can't help but feel, that John himself would have thoroughly approved of.



"Naima" is another of Coltrane's pieces that has been transposed from Jazz, to fit with in the freewheeling Blues/Latin-rock, and Fusion template here, but whereas the previous track was far more intense and confident, with it approach and excellently mixed up the spiritual with the confident and exuberant to startling effect, "Naima" is but complete contrast a much softer and more inward looking track that, has an emphasis on the use of slide guitar to relay the more organic and subdued nature of the track, and the hushed instrumentation is indicative of the contrasting and ultimately pastoral nature of the Coltrane original. And such is the delicate lushness of this track, that you'll feel a sense of disappointment that it's very brief 3 minute running time leaves you wanting more.



"The Life Divine" sees McLaughlin take on more of the arrangement and compositional duties here, as this is a sound that seems more akin to his remarkable first couple of albums with "The Mahavishnu Orchestra", and so the sound is one of the complex and electronic innovations of the guitar Jazz-fusion, that they became famous for, it certainly a energetic and invigorating piece that has that sublime improvisational fusion that served McLaughlin well, in his time as a "Miles Davis" sideman on his "Bitches Brew" and "Jack Johnson" sessions. With the heavily rhythm-orientated progressive rock, and freeform Jazz arrangements running strongly throughout the track. This track will undoubtedly appeal most to those that enjoyed the shimmering funkiness, and moody electric ethereal rhythms, and slightly aggressive tones and textures of his Jazz-rock work.



"Let Us Go into the House of the Lord" is a song that I was performed by 'Pharoah Sanders' (although I don't believe his is the composer), and at a lengthy 15 minutes, it's by far the longest track on the album, and undeniably one of the greatest compostions, and oddly it this track feels as though Carlos Santana has had more of a hand in this track, and it feels in parts closer to the ethnic and almost bluesy approach, that probably has more in common with the summery psychedelic and the playful and confident Latin-rock/Afro-Cuban, by which Santana became synonymous with. And it here that this track feels more like a Santana production because it has that feel of multiple influences: Rock, Jazz, Salsa, & Blues, all subtly texturing the sound, and making for gripping performance, especially when the two guitarist begin to start weaving some sublime guitar interplay, between the both of them. Cerebral in tone and loaded with some excellent percussion, it can at times be a very melodic and lush sounding track, and at other times remarkably technical and movingly poigiant.



This is one of those albums, that I can imagine, when it was released over 30 years ago, divided fans of both artists fanbase, as it was a wasn't quite what the fans back then were expecting from both artists (an album of mostly Jazz classics reinterpreted into Jazz Fusion??). And for those fans nowdays, that probably only know Santana through his recent albums, that feature a multitude of vocalists / Collaborators, this will undoubtedly leave most listeners scratching their heads in bemusement. But for those that are familiar with the original tracks that these versions are taken from, or indeed welcome (and indeed Love) the whole Jazz-Fusion / Jazz-Rock genre, this is a truly stunning album, that actually sounds a lot more relevant in this times of musical multi-genres, and is arguably a one-off stunning pairing of arguably two of the rock genres finest statesmen, but more importantly an amazing jam session by two exceptionally gifted guitarists, who made a unique album of intense, passionate and beautifully realised musical explorations that sound even better now, than it did back then."