Black Magic Man

Legendary Latin rock guitarist Carlos Santana talks about his first gig in India, spirituality and an upcoming memoir

The summer of 1969 was epic — Flower Children across the World were basking in the glory of the Summer of Love, rock n roll was at its peak and a hippie renaissance of sorts was taking over. It was also the year the legendary three-day-long Woodstock Festival took place at Bethel, New York, in August. More than five lakh music aficionados flocked the area and on Day Two a young Carlos Santana with his band, also called Santana, performed a 45-minute-long set and Soul Sacrifice, the instrumental track, became an instant hit, as did the guitarist, Santana.

On October 28, an entire generation that missed watching the Latin rock guitarist live, will get a chance as he gets set to perform at Galgotias University near Buddh International Circuit in the Capital as part of F1 Rocks with Vladivar. "Even though this is officially my first visit to India, I had a spiritual guru from 1972 to 1981. I would like to see temples. They don't have to be rich or lavish. They can be simple but powerful," says Santana. He hasn't kept his spiritual side hidden and promises a memoir that will release next year. He says, "It is all about spiritual triumph, and away from the usual tradition of shallow juicy stories. It is more about sharing with the spiritual mechanics and how I was able to grow." Till that makes an appearance at a bookstore near you, give his latest instrumental album, Shape Shifter, that released earlier this year, a listen.

Revered as a guitar god across the world and considered to be a pioneer of fusing Latin tunes with rock sounds, Santana has 10 Grammys to his credit. It's his peculiar style of uninhibited guitar solos that have earned him the reputation of a rockstar. The beautiful, soul-stirring guitar riffs in tracks such as No one to depend on, Black magic woman and While my guitar gently weeps are clear favourites, though the '90s was a troublesome decade as the swing in rock n roll changed. Till he recorded the hit single, Into the night, with Chad Kroeger of Nickelback. "I am 65 now and it is not impossible to create music with Lady Gaga or Adele as long as it's the right song," he remarks. Promising an interesting two-and-a half-hour long set, he adds, "My show will not be boring or traditional and it will take you through a large collection of music."

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