Interview: Carlos Santana

To identify what fuels Carlos Santana’s creative engine, know that it is gratitude with a capital G. Consider it an extension of Santana’s spirituality, which comes through in the humility and soft-spoken nature one experiences in speaking with him. Gratitude is how the 78-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer describes his feelings about his latest album “Sentient,” his 27th studio album and first since 2021’s “Blessings and Miracles.”

“I feel blessed that I was able to do this project,” Santana said in a recent interview. “Someone told me a while ago that this Mexican dude Santana tends to consistently bring God out of people. That’s the main reason we play music -- to bring the light and divinity out of people so people can walk and carry themselves differently. We need more light and more joy. There’s too much fear and anger.”

The 11-tracks on “Sentient” found the guitar virtuoso digging through his archives, as well as borrowing tracks from projects he worked on with other artists. What listeners will find here are the Latin ballad “Whatever Happens,” from the late Michael Jackson’s 2001 outing “Invincible,” a slightly meatier take on “Please Don’t Take Your Love” from Smokey Robinson’s 2009 effort “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” and a quartet of cuts from Italian jazz-rocker Paolo Rustichelli’s 1996 album “Mystic Man.” On two of the cuts, the slightly atmospheric “Get On” and syncopated gem “Rastafario,” Santana’s contributions are woven in with posthumous performances by old friend Miles Davis. Confessing to feeling like he was, “Ten feet off the ground” when the Davis estate gave him permission to use the jazz legend’s music, he has fond memories of first crossing paths with the jazz great.

“The first time I met Miles Davis was at Tanglewood in 1970,” Santana recalled, mentioning the venue near Boston. “He went out of his way to talk to me and be very complimentary. I was scared to death. Miles had an aura like 1,000 Darth Vaders -- he was definitely a force. While he was very, very sweet, if you didn’t know him and weren’t very close with him, he could be very intimidating. He didn’t play that role with me. He was very welcoming in bringing me into his stratosphere. Because of Bill Graham, I was able to meet Mr. Miles Davis. We created a friendship that lasted for a long, long time until he left. I’m very grateful that he’s on this album.”

The rest of “Sentient” found Santana making some interesting choices from his own canon, like resurrecting songs like an R&B-kissed reading of “I’ll Be Waiting” from 1977’s “Moonflower” and the title cut from 1987’s Grammy-winning “Blues for Salvador,” which closes out “Sentient”. When asked about the creative choices he made for this project, the Mexican native compared his process to being something like a high-end florist.

“When I go to Europe, I go to the best hotels and walk into the lobby,” he said. “I always see these incredible flower arrangements that are done by these hired (professionals). That’s how I create my music -- like a flower arrangement -- the textures, the colors, the scents. That’s how we put together “Sentient,” like a flower arrangement.” 

One of the musical benefits Santana enjoys and is quick to point out is playing with wife and drummer Cindy Blackman-Santana, whom he married in 2010. Not only has she been an anchor in his band, but is a continual source of inspiration. A perfect example is the “Sentient’s” opening cut, “Let the Guitar Play,” which has its roots as a reimagining of an earlier cut, “Song for Cindy.”

“I wrote that melody for Cindy in the studio and on the way out, Narada Michael Walden recorded it,” Santana explained. “He put his own instrumentation on it and took it to a person named Lino Nicolosi in Europe, who then put his own thing on it. Somehow, we got involved with Daryl McDaniels, from Run-DMC and he put his thing on it. By the time it came back to me, it felt very different. Coincidentally, that’s how we did ‘Smooth’ and every other song on “Supernatural” (Santana’s blockbuster 1999 album).

As excited as he is about his latest album, Santana is equally exhilarated about his spouse’s own upcoming unnamed solo record. Having done quite a bit of creative parrying on the instrumental “Coherence,” yet another “Sentient” highlight, he’ll be the first to admit he has to bring his A game when he plays with her.

“Like Miles, she’s a force of nature,” Santana said. “The things I learn from Cindy are discipline, dedication, devotion and diet. She’s a world-class athlete like Usain Bolt. She’s totally dedicated to playing drums with a serious stamina that intimidates a lot of male drummers. I also get intimidated by her. We’ll get into the car and I’ll put something on with Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams and Ron Carter and the first thing she says is to turn it up louder. I turn it up the volume and she’ll start singing Miles’ parts, Wayne’s parts, and Herbie’s parts. She’s really singing it all verbatim, note for note. I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ I’m trying to play ‘Louie Louie’ and she’s playing all this other jazz music. It’s all very inspiring.”

For the current tour, fans can expect to hear a broad swath of Santana’s considerably broad catalog.

“There will be a lot of energy,” Santana enthused. “We play yesterday, today and tomorrow. Cindy plays drums and we play music from “Abraxas” to “Caravanerai” to “Supernatural” to this (“Sentient”) album. Santana is a celebration. There are very few bands that bring everything with them. For us, it’s all the colors in the rainbow and it’s not black or white because we learn a lot from African rhythms. That’s what you’re going to get.”