Los Santana: and the beat goes on … This summer, Salvador Santana, son of Carlos Santana, made his debut as a bandleader, opening for his dad's band in San Francisco and throughout Europe. No, he doesn't play guitar, but yes, he is talented!

Latin Beat Magazine, Sept, 2004 by Jesse Varela

OYE COMO VA

It's noon at the Santana practice space in San Rafael, California, and Salvador Santana, the 21-year old son of Carlos and Deborah Santana, is rehearsing with his band. Surrounded by two keyboards and an amplifier, the six-foot-something keyboardist plays funky chords, a la Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, as the group's guitarist solos.

Picking it up, Salvador whips out an improvised riff that brings the sextet together for a collective vamp. Fusing electric jazz with everything from reggae to rap, the band is pumping high-energy rock funk with a spark reminiscent of the original Santana band. Sal raises his arm and the band hits with a break to end the tune.

Currently a student at California Institute for the Arts in Los Angeles, Sal has been playing piano since the age of six. In late June he made his debut as a bandleader at The Warfield Theater in San Francisco and hit the road with his dad for a European tour. Yes, it comes without the dues paying most bands go through, but the expectations are high for young Santana to prove himself.

"I'll be walking down the street," says Salvador, a few days before his Warfield shows, "and somebody will say, 'You're Santana's son. You got some big shoes to fill.' I'll say, 'This is true, but my dad wears a size 9 and I wear a size 15. I have my own shoes to fill and I'm sure my pops can fill his own shoes.' It's not about following in his footsteps but taking an inspiration from him and following my own path."

PIANO MAN

"Actually, it was my folks who got me started on piano when I was six years old," comments Sal. "I was playing drums when I was two. My parents used to lay out pots and pans and I would try to play them with spoons. I picked up the guitar randomly. I didn't get influenced in terms of the guitar by my dad but there were certain riffs I couldn't play on the piano so I'd learn them on the guitar. As far as the piano, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea are all important to me," he says, talking about his influences. "But I've been getting into some classical music too. I've been trying to push my knowledge in that direction and don't want to limit myself to just one type of music. I want to keep everything open and expand."

The idea to tour and open for his dad came up earlier this year. With a nucleus of musical friends from San Rafael and Cal Arts, he formed the Salvador Santana Band and has put together a potent set of largely original music. The group includes vibrant young talents René Del Fierro (guitar), Gene Coye (drums), Eric Méndez (congas), Emerson Cárdenas (bass) and MC Sammy Totah (rap/vocals).

"All of our arrangements are original," continues Sal. "There are two pieces in the set that are written by me and other band members. They are influenced by Billy Cobham, John Coltrane and Jimi Hendrix. Good people with good vibrations. Our music is a combination of everything. To quote Bob Marley, 'it hits you but you don't feel any pain.'"

CARLOS

Carlos Santana beams with pride as he speaks about his son. Sal's pursuit of a music career adds to a family legacy that includes Carlos, his brother Jorge (of Malo fame), and their late dad, José Santana, a prominent mariachi musician in the SF Mission District. Add to that Deborah's father, Sanders King, the pioneer Bay Area jazz and blues guitarist, and it's quite a musical tree.

"My family is a deep well when it comes to music," explains Carlos. "I am very honored that Salvador finally stepped into the arena to start scrambling huevos (eggs). It's all the same huevos--the same notes, chords and emotions--but it's how you scramble them and make them new and different that touches people's hearts."

Carlos has been on a roll as we speak, bashing the rock media for not covering the death of jazz drummer Elvin Jones. Wearing a red t-shirt with John Coltrane's image on it, white pants and a brilliant silver cross. This is a good period for the 56-year old rock icon.

In May he and the band participated in Quincy Jone's global humanitarian event "We Are the Future" in Rome and were part of the Montreux Jazz Festival's program "Hymns: Songs For Love and Peace" in July. And on September 5th, the Latin Grammy Awards will honor him.

"Right now I am producing six songs with Buddy Guy and working on releasing a CD I did with Wayne Shorter in 1988. I also want to do another instrumental recording because sometimes I feel like a waiter catering to a lot of singers. I want to sing the melodies on my guitar."

Sitting in the Santana conference room are trophies on the shelves from music award ceremonies. On the wall, framed certificates hang from around the world honoring Carlos and the band. It's obvious by the smile and gleam in his eye that seeing his son come of age as a musical performer is priceless.

"Salvador has something that I don't have and that's gentle wisdom. I am more of a street cabrón. I pull the knife and if you're on the wrong side, you might wake up in emergency. I'll say sorry later, but this is who I am. I am learning a lot from Salvador and my daughters about changing people without being brutal. I admire that."