Santana Special

Corazón is Carlos Santana's first album for a major label since 2002's Shaman. It marks his reunion with executive producer Clive Davis, who masterminded 1999's multi-platinum Supernatural. Billed by RCA as his "first Latin album," Corazón is the studio counterpart to the guitarist's HBO Latino concert special that featured his band performing with a host of Latin music superstars in his native Mexico. The singing was (as it is here) mostly in Spanish. For the most part, Santana actually sounds hungry again. His studio band is filled with killers, including drummer Dennis Chambers, timbalero Karl Perazza, and conguero Raul Rekow. Opener "Saideira" features his trademark tone in a passionate, stinging, gritty exchange with vocalist Samuel Rosa, from the Brazilian rock and reggae band Skank. Jittering, insistent horns and layers of percussion push both men to escalate the battle. Juanes lends his soulful croon to first single "La Flaca." It's got an anthemic hook with layers of backing vocals framing Santana's tight and tasty solos.

Combined with 40 years of hits, Santana performed many of the songs from his double-platinum US Latin-certified and critically-acclaimed album CORAZÓN at a once in a lifetime concert event in December 2013, accompanied by many of his album special guests, all celebrating their Latin music heritage in Guadalajara, Mexico (in his native state of Jalisco). The CORAZÓN project brought Carlos back to his birthplace and celebrates Carlos’ love of his musical heritage, as well as showcases Carlos’ own personal influence on Latin music and on today’s generation of Latin superstars. Superstar guest performers who joined Santana at the concert event captured on this CD include Elan Atias, Chocquibtown, Lila Downs, Gloria Estefan, Juanes, Miguel, Fher Olvera (of Maña),Niña Pastori, Samuel Rosa (of Skank), Cindy Blackman Santana, Salvador Santana, Romeo Santos, Soledad, and Diego Torres.

After teaming up with Herbie Hancock for the jazz-flavored The Swing of Delight album, Carlos Santana reentered the pop/rock realm with the rest of his band for 1981's Zebop!…

With each track selected and sequenced by Carlos, Shape Shifter is a journey through soaring Santana leads and driving beats to the beautifully crafted melodies that have made Santana a household name. Consistent throughout the project is the world-class musicianship of the Santana Band members, who bring vitality and heart to every note. Band members include Benny Rietveld, Dennis Chambers, Raul Rekow, Karl Perazzo, Tony Lindsay, Andy Vargas along with Chester Thompson and special guest Salvador Santana.

When Carlos Santana made a guest appearance with Eric Clapton at a festival in Hyde Park in July 2018, it marked a special celebration for both guitarists. It was almost fifty years since Santana had made his historic breakthrough at the 1969 U.S. Woodstock Festival, and as many years since Clapton launched Blind Faith at a free concert. The unifying power of rock enables artists from different backgrounds to join forces in the quest to perform exciting, satisfying music together. Santana and Clapton were old friends and it was the blues that formed the basis of their joint passion. The genre was certainly an early influence on the young man who began his career south of the border, down Mexico way, en route to becoming a global superstar.

Hille Perl is widely regarded as one of the leading viola da gambists in the world. Because of the prominence of her instrument in the Baroque era, her repertory is rich in works from that period, with the names, J.S. Bach, Telemann, Marin Marais, Sainte-Colombe, and other 17th and 18th century composers headlining her concert programs and recordings. Perl also plays the treble viol, the seven-string bass viol, Baroque guitar, Lirone, and Xarana.