Photo: Carlos Santana | By Lee Cowan, CBS News | For Carlos Santana, music is a kind of witchcraft, an alchemy that transforms his guitar into something you might think he’s trying to tame. But taming it, he says, isn’t the goal; seducing it is. “When you get inside the note, it’s like the most beautiful woman in the room gives you a French kiss,” he said. “When you get a French kiss, man, it always gets your attention.”
He’s been getting that kind of attention for decades, sustaining a long career like he can sustain a note. “I’m a multi-dimensional motherf****r who can show up on any stage and bring things to another whole level of energy,” he said.
He was 22 when he blew away fans at Woodstock, his solo announcing the arrival of another ’60s guitar god.
At that time, Santana said, “Everybody was going home, putting on Bob Dylan records and smoking weed.”
Cowan asked, “What do you think people do when they put on your music?”
“Make sex,” he smiled.
At 52 he was still having that effect. His 1999 album “Supernatural” tied Michael Jackson for the most Grammys ever won in a single night. The song “Smooth” topped the charts for 12 weeks.
“In the middle of the song I felt like, ‘Uh oh, this is different.’ That one and ‘Maria Maria.'”
> > > > > > > > >
Go here to head the rest of the story and to watch/listen to several videos:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-alchemy-of-carlos-santana/
Go here to watch a trailer for the new documentary on Mr. Santana called simply “Carlos”:
https://www.carlosmovie.com
Website and merchandise: https://www.santana.com/
Photo: Carlos Santana | From his website
The Alchemy of Carlos Santana
