Santana

April 15th, 2016 marks the release date of Santana IV, the wildly anticipated studio album that reunites the revered early '70s lineup with Carlos, Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, Michael Carabello, and Michael Shrieve. The album marks the first time in 45 years – since 1971's multi-platinum classic Santana III - that the quintet has recorded together.

apitalizing on the recent popularity of Carlos Santana, Caroline / Cleopatra affiliate Purple Pyramid released Tropical Spirits Part I & II on Leap Day 2000. It is essentially a collection of early Santana tunes and unreleased material. "Acapulco Sunrise", which was slated to appear on Santana's debut disc (1969's Santana) but did not, is included…

It began almost as a lark when Carlos Santana encountered his longtime friend and hero Wayne Shorter on the concert trail in Atlanta, GA, in 1987. Carlos said, "Let's start a rumor that we're putting a band together." Wayne's eyes got bigger and brighter as he smiled and then responded: "Yeah, Carlos, let's start a rumor." A few months later the Carlos Santana/Wayne Shorter Band performed its debut concert at The Fillmore in San Francisco, the beginning of a 26-concert tour throughout the U.S. and Europe. The performance of this magnificent band was recorded at Montreux, Switzerland, on July 14, 1988, and includes interviews with Carlos Santana, Wayne Shorter and festival creator Claude Nobs.

This DVD highlights the career of this guitar master's unprecedented musical journey. With guests including Rob Thomas, Michelle Branch, and Product G&B, this once-in-a-lifetime TV event is finally available on DVD. The show incudes performances of his #1 smashes and career-defining cuts.

Santana was still a respected rock veteran in 1999, but it had been years since he had a hit, even if he continued to fare well on the concert circuits. Clive Davis, the man who had signed Santana to Columbia in 1968, offered him the opportunity to set up shop at his label, Arista. In the tradition of comebacks and label debuts by veteran artists in the '90s, Supernatural, Santana's first effort for Arista, is designed as a star-studded event. At first listen, there doesn't seem to be a track that doesn't have a guest star, which brings up the primary problem with the album - despite several interesting or excellent moments, it never develops a consistent voice that holds the album together. The fault doesn't lay with the guest stars or even with Santana, who continues to turn in fine performances. There's just a general directionless feeling to the record, enhanced by several songs that seem like excuses for jams…