VIVA CARLOS! A SUPERNATURAL MARATHON CELEBRATION

	Viva Carlos! A Supernatural Marathon Celebration
	Produced by Jeff Richman
	Released on October 24, 2006
	no chart information
	Find it at GEMM
TC 40522 cover [high resolution scan]

V iva Carlos asks the musical question: What would ten classic Santana tracks sound like in the hands of ten different guitarists? The answer, in case you’re wondering, is like ten classic Santana tracks in the hands of ten different guitarists. Which isn’t to say I’m not jazzed about the idea or the results. Dave Weckl on drums, ten amazing axemen, you had me at Viva. But it’s a little like bringing ten of the world’s best drummers together for a tribute to Ringo Starr. Carlos Santana was never a flashy guitarist, and some of the fiery fretwork on Viva Carlos seems less a tribute than a trump. Each of the ten guitarists on Viva Carlos has a distinctive style: Eric Gales, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson. With the same backing band in place from track to track, it’s the lead guitarist who sets the tone. Again that’s the idea, but I’m not sure that was the idea that Santana originally intended for these. If Carlos had wanted to solo all over these songs, he would have. He didn’t. His solos were often restrained, contained to the middle, lyrical and not lightning fast. So to say that this music is true to the spirit of Santana, I don’t know. (Tom Watson does. You should read his review at Modern Guitars.) The cynic in me sees the pairing of great guitarists and great brands (okay, maybe not so much McLaughlin) as low-hanging fruit. Tasty fruit, maybe even delicious to guitar gourmands, but not some years-in-the-making opus. Still, there are worse ways to spend an hour than listening to very talented people play the music of Santana in their own idiom.

TRACK LISTING

SE A CABO (Jose Areas)
EUROPA (EARTHS CRY HEAVENS SMILE) (Tom Coster/Carlos Santana)
JINGO (M.Olatunji)
OYE COMO VA (Tito Puente)
FLOR D'LUNA (MOONFLOWER) (Tom Coster)
AQUA MARINE (James Pasqua/Carlos Santana)
SAMBA DE SAUSALITO (Jose Areas)
BLUES FOR SALVADOR (Carlos Santana/Chester Thompson)
SAMBA PA TI (Carlos Santana)
JUNGLE STRUT (Gene Ammons)

All songs arranged by Jeff Richman

CREDITS

LUIS CONTE -- percussion & vocals
ABRAHAM LABORIEL -- bass
JEFF RICHMAN -- rhythm guitar, lead guitar (2), photos
DAVE WECKL -- drums
PETER WOLF -- keys & organ, associate producer
Luis Conte Jr. -- additional percussion (3)
Robben Ford -- lead guitar (8)
Eric Gales -- lead guitar (3)
Frank Gambale -- lead guitar (7)
Eric Johnson -- lead guitar (6)
Albert Lee -- lead guitar (9)
Pat Martino -- lead guitar (5)
Coco Montoya -- lead guitar (10)
Vinnie Moore -- lead guitar (1)
Mike Stern -- lead guitar (4)
Paul Ericksen -- engineer, mixing
Richard Mullen -- engineer
Paul Tavenner -- overdub engineer
Ken Wallace -- overdub engineer
Gary Novak -- overdub engineer
Alfonso Rodenas -- overdub engineer
Chris Swenson -- overdub engineer
Mike Varney -- executive producer
Max Crace, Lisa Moore, Steve Jennings -- photos

return to SANTANA discography

REGION	RELEASE DATE	LABEL	MEDIA	ID NUMBER	FEATURES
US	October 24, 2006	Tone Center	CD	TC 40522

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