Santana Fan Club 'East-West blends'

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Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

Inactive

Posted: 19 years ago

#21

Santanas To Be Honored For Helping Children

In 1998, Carlos and Deborah Santana started the Milagro Foundation to benefit underprivileged children worldwide in the areas of health, education and the arts. The Santanas will be honored for that effort at the 3rd Annual Tequio Awards on March 1. The awards are given by CRLA (California Rural Legal Assistance) to recognize charitable efforts on behalf of the poor.

(Photo: Carlos Santana is recognized at halftime of a 2004 Oakland Raiders game for the Milagro Foundation he founded with his wife, Deborah.
- PR Newswire Photo Service)

Edited by Qwest - 19 years ago

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Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

Inactive

Posted: 19 years ago

#22

Carlos Santana
in Zagreb on 20.07.2004
Posted 18.07.2004 18:00h

At the beginning of a new century and the dawn of a new millennium, Carlos Santana is at the pinnacle of a remarkable recording and performing career. Carlos music has spanned five decades, outlasted countless musical trends, sold more than fifty million albums, played live to upwards of thirty million fans, and garnered countless awards and honors, including a 1998 induction into the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame. For over thirty years, Santana has been tirelessly creating his own unique fusion of passionate, guitar-powered music, creatively blending potent rock n roll with blues-driven elements, sensuous Afro-Cuban rhythms, and infusions of numerous other global music idioms. Long before World Music was coined as a phrase, Santana was making it and popularizing it-perhaps even defining it...and ever since Carlos and his band exploded onto the stage with an electrifying performance at the original 1969 Woodstock Festival, the world has indeed been listening.

Carlos Santanas latest album release, Supernatural, the 36th of his career, spotlights a legendary artist at the peak of his powers. Supernatural has sold in excess of ten million copies, and has been officially certified Dectillion Platinum - Diamond Status-by the R.I.A.A. It won nine GRAMMYs at the 42nd Annual GRAMMY Awards in February 2000, including Album Of the Year, Best Rock Album, and Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year for Smooth, Santanas unforgettable collaboration with alternative-rock favorite Matchbox Twentys Rob Thomas. In 1999 anyone on the planet with a radio could not help but feel the sultry groove of this Latin flavored, mid-tempo rock masterpiece. Carlos explains that Some songs are just like tattoos for your brain...you hear them and they re affixed to you - Smooth proved its staying power with a record 12 consecutive weeks at No.1 on Billboards Hot 100 chart, making it the longest running No.1 single of 1999.

Supernaturals second single, Maria, Maria, co-written by Wyclef Jean (of The Fugees and solo fame) and featuring on vocals, The Product G and B is an infectious Spanish-textured stroll fusing Latin, African and pan-Caribbean sounds-its multi-genre appeal won it ten weeks in the top slot on the Hot 100 as well as a GRAMMY for Best Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocals. This eclectic tour de force album also guest stars multiple-GRAMMY winning artist Lauryn Hill, the legendary Eric Clapton, Dave Matthews, Everlast, Eagle Eye Cherry, and Mana, among others. Supernatural, well, supernatually bridges cultural, generational and musical realms, forging multi-dimensional, multi-cultural creative partnerships. Carlos says that Every musician who participated was on the same wavelength and artistic energy as I was...Supernatual is a beautiful example of synchronicity...making it was a truly glorious experience. The album was Santana 1999 debut for Arista Records, where Carlos was reunited with mentor Clive Davis thirty years after originally signing his very first major label contract with the executive at Columbia in 1969. The result is an instantly classic, powerhouse collection of incredibly diverse songs and soulful vibes united by the spirit and musical passion of Carlos Santana.

This most recent success is a tremendous high point of an artistic journey that began some fifty years ago in the Mexican village of Autlan, where at age five, Carlos was introduced to traditional music, by his father Jose, an accomplished mariachi violinist. The family moved to the border boom town of Tijuana in 1955, where Carlos seriously took up guitar, studying and emulating the sounds of B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, T. Bone Walker and other greats he heard on the radio. As much as he was inspired by the early training he received from his father in traditional musical form and theory, Carlos soon realized his dream was to break free and play rock n roll. He began performing with local bands like The T.J.s, adding his own personal flair to the popular songs of the 1950s. As he continued playing with different bands up and down the bustling Tijuana Strip, Carlos Santana began to hone his considerable skills and invent his inimitable sound.

In 1961, he moved Stateside to San Francisco, joining his family, who had relocated there the previous year. Destiny had most certainly brought Carlos to the right place at the right time, planting him smack in the middle of the of the burgeoning and hugely influential Bay Area music scene...as well as in an era-defining melting pot of cultural, political, and artistic change. In this climate, Carlos continued to evolve his unique, genre-bending style, and in 1966, he took his music to the people with the debut performance of the Santana Blues Band. For the next two years, the group was swept up in a whirlwind of acclaim and popularity that carried them from the boards of Bill Grahams historic Fillmore West to the main stage at the epochal Woodstock Peace, Love, Music Festival, where on August 16, 1969, the Santana bands gale-force Latin-flavored rock was delivered to the masses.

The world embraced Carlos with a passion, captivated by music that was always changing, exploring, and growing, yet always quintessentially and unmistakably Santana, heralded by a guitar prowess that today remains among the most distinctive ever. Each new release including to date ten platinum and nine gold albums-emerged as a reflection of Carlos personal growth and artistic evolution. Fans also reveled in his humanitarian messages and spiritual affirmations-subtle urgings towards peace, joy, acceptance, compassion and understanding--that have been consistently communicated in a gentle, heartfelt manner at live performances around the globe.

The Santana Band achieved double-platinum status their first time out with the 1969 Columbia debut album Santana, featuring the hit single Evil Ways, and quadruple-platinum with Abraxas, the classic 1970 follow-up, which boasted among its tracks Black Magic Woman and the incomparable Tito Puentes composition Oye Como Va. Other milestones in the Santana discography include 1971s Santana III featuring Everythings Coming Our Way, the 1974 Columbia Greatest Hits package; the 1997 2-CD collection Live At The Fillmore featuring performances from their historic 1968 shows, the comprehensive 1995 Legacy boxed-set retrospective Dance Of The Rainbow Serpent and their single-disc 1998 Best Of Santana distillation, solo projects including the 1972 musical adventure Live With Buddy Miles and the highly personal Blues For Salvador (1987), and adventurous Guts and Grace Island releases including 1994s Brothers, which featured collaborations with Carlos sibling Jorge and nephew Carlos Hernandez, and Mystic Man, with Italian composer Paolo Rustichelli. Significant filmed repertoire include the 1988 video retrospective Viva Santana, the 1993 South American concert video Sacred Fire, and 1997s CD-ROM A History Of Santana: The River Of Color And Sound. Most recently, FOX Television aired the gala special A Supernatural Evening With Santana, a celebration of the record-setting album featuring performances with Rob Thomas, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, and Sarah McLachlan, among others; Aviva International and Image Entertainment released the DVD and video of this memorable event. Whatever the medium or the genre, Carlos uncompromising passion for his art shines clearly through.

This passion also paved the way for ventures into new musical and geographic territories, including the scoring of the feature film La Bamba, embarking on a 1988 tour with great jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and participating in 1987s Rock n Roll Summit, the first-ever joint US-Soviet rock concert. Carlos Santana has also contributed his talents to the benefit of numerous charitable causes, among them Blues For Salvador, San Francisco Earthquake Relief, Tijuana Orphans, Rights Of Indigenous Peoples, and education for Latin youth in association with the Hispanic Education and Media Group. Hes received numerous civic and humanitarian commendations over the years.

Career recognition and kudos have been legion. The Santana Band was the first to earn CBS Records Crystal Globe Award for sales of more than five million albums internationally. Carlos has been voted Best Pop-Rock Guitarist multiple times in Playboy Magazine annual Readers Poll. He received a 1988 GRAMMY for Best Rock Instrumental Performance and was the subject of a special Recording Academy (NARAS) tribute concert during the 1996 GRAMMY Awards, in conjunction with his induction into the Hollywood Rock Walk. He has received ten Bay Area Music Awards, including six Best Guitarist and three Musician Of The Year nods, and in 1997 was among the select inaugural group - along with Bill Graham and Jerry Garcia - inducted into the BAMMY Hall Of Fame. That same year, he was named Latino Music Legend of the Year by the Chicano Music Awards. In 1996, Billboard Magazine bestowed Carlos with the Century Award, their highest honor for lifetime creative achievement, and in 1998, he was immortalized in the entertainment world with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Today, millions of fans, new and old, enjoy the work of this extraordinary musician, both through his extensive catalogue repertoire and via the phenomenal impact of Supernatural and its accompanying world tour. Just as Carlos Santana brought the work of Latin music icon Tito Puente to a new generation of rock fans in 1970, he now completes the circle by introducing his massive world music following to an exciting line-up of rock, pop and hip hop personalities via Supernatural dynamic roster. More than three decades into his career, Carlos Santana is more vital and relevant than ever, one of the biggest musical forces on the planet. His work unites our global village, transcending cultural, genre, and language barriers...its soul-stirring celebration of life, spirit, brotherhood and diversity is as powerful as its creators magical guitar virtuosity. Carlos Santana is a jubilant 21st century man, and like the new century, hes just getting started.

Edited by Qwest - 19 years ago

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Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

Inactive

Posted: 19 years ago

#23

Guitarist

"My family has supported Music in Schools Today since its early days. I am honored to have been chosen as a role model for our youth today.

"My advice to young people aspiring to be musicians is: do everything you do with heart."

When Music in Schools Today (Must) began its Adopt an Instrument campaign in 1990, one of the first gifts we received was a trumpet from Carlos Santana. He and members of the band have been donating instruments ever since, and that is only one of the many ways that Carlos has helped Must. He and his wife have founded the Milagro Foundation, dedicated to meeting the educational, medical and housing needs of children all over the world.

He's a Rock and Roll Hall of Farmer, a Grammy Award winner, and a global icon. We are privileged to pay tribute to one of the most innovative and inspiring musicians in the world today. And we are grateful for Carlos' energy and role in supporting the creative education and growth of our children.

Fans love his messages -- the gentle urgings toward peace, compassion, joy and understanding -- that have been consistently delivered in a personal, heartfelt manner at performances in more than 50 countries. And, they love his guitar playing which today remains among the most distinct and recognizable in all the world. Carlos Santana belongs to the San Francisco Bay Area, but he has earned the love and admiration of the world.

Long before anyone heard of the concept of World Music, Carlos Santana was playing it. At a time when the world of traditional, guitar-based rock 'n roll was emerging from the "British invasion" and reaching new levels of popularity in the English and U.S. markets, Santana infused it with a fresh energy and profound emotional depth that stirred the hearts and souls of millions of new fans around the entire globe. Skillfully blending elements of 12-bar blues, fiery rock riffs and sensuous Afro-Cuban rhythms, and featuring his passionate, instantly-recognizable guitar style, Carlos Santana created a unique, magical sound. It is a sound that remains -- like the long, sustained notes that mark his distinctive guitar solos -- as powerful, as moving and as meaningful as ever, nearly 30 years after Carlos first shared it with the world. And, it is a sound that earned Carlos and the other original members of the Santana Band their rightful place among the legends of contemporary music with their 1998 induction into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

Carlos Santana's story begins in the village of Autlan, Mexico, where, at age five, Carlos was introduced to "traditional music" by his father, Jose. An accomplished mariachi violinist and experienced musician, he taught Carlos the basics of music theory and gave him an understanding of the value of a note. Although Carlos' excitement for music would be sparked by this first experience, he quickly discovered the limits of its traditional form and wanted more. Carlos wanted to play what he heard on the radio: rock 'n roll.

In 1966, that music exploded on the streets of San Francisco with the debut performance of the Cantata Blues Band. For the next two years, the group was caught up in a wave of popularity that took them from the stage of San Francisco's Fillmore West to their historic appearance at the Woodstock Festival in 1969. With that electrifying performance, Carlos Santana had arrived; and with him came both a powerful new Latin-flavored rock sound and an uncompromising dedication to his music -- two factors that would influence people's lives for well over a quarter century.

The world has embraced Carlos with a passion. We are captivated by his music -- always changing, always exploring, always growing -- yet always consistently and clearly Carlos. Every new release -- including eight gold and seven platinum albums before last year's sweep of the Grammies -- has become a reflection of Carlos' personal growth and evolution.

Edited by Qwest - 19 years ago

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Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

Inactive

Posted: 19 years ago

#24

Amit Chatterjee is a guitarist, singer, sitarist and composer who combine his heritage in Hindusthani music with many years of playing and studying European, jazz and popular music. He has recorded and performed extensively with artists such as Joe Zawinul (1993 to present), Eric Johnson, Carlos Santana, Badal Roy, Glen Velez, Layne Redmond, David Lieberman, Paul Winter and Paul Halley. Currently Amit is featured in Zawinul's symphonic work on Phillips Classic 'Stories of the Danube'. He is also part of Zawinul's Grammy-nominated world/jazz recording, My People. He recently finished recording an album that features him as a songwriter and singer with his trio that includes Jorge Alfano on bass and flutes and Randy Crafton on percussion. Amit has also produced former Weather Report and Zawinul percussionist Robert Thomas, Jr's first solo album. Both of these works appear on Tetrad Recordings. His Work as a player and singer has received extensive critical acclaim from musicians and everyday listeners alike.

Amit was a visiting professor for the ethnomusicology department as the University of Miami from 1984-1986 and continues to draw on his multicultural background as a musician and teacher. His passion has been to continue to forge a true global music, one that is not a patchwork of sounds from different cultures but a new music altogether, spawned by the joys and sorrows of the life of the modern-day global human being.

Edited by Qwest - 19 years ago

Quote

Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

Inactive

Posted: 19 years ago

#25

Sometimes, the only thing you can do is shake your head and laugh …
That's how Bobby Allende felt one day, not long ago, when he stumbled across a familiar video on VH1.
"When I was a kid, one of my favorite songs was 'Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard,'" he says. "I knew it inside out. So here I am, watching the TV, and I see myself on the screen. I'm doing a show with Paul Simon. And he's singing 'Me And Julio …'"
And now the head shake. "Man, I never thought I would be playing the tune I loved most with the artist that did it. I still think I'm dreaming sometimes."

Dreams – or, depending on how you look at it, real life – got stranger still for Allende just a few months ago. He is no stranger to fame: in fact, when he was nine years old he was performing on national television with Buddy Rich. But even when you're one of the top congueros in the business, with a rsum that includes Rubn Blades, David Byrne, J-Lo, and Cyndi Lauper, things can still catch you by surprise.

Like that phone call that led to an offer to take the most coveted conga gig on the planet – with Santana.

As of April this year, Allende has been locked with drummer Dennis Chambers and timbalero Karl Perazzo into a fearsome rhythm section. They didn't record together, but from their first gig in Puerto Rico just a week after their initial rehearsal, and through shows in Panama, Mexico, Costa Rica, San Salvador, and on to their summer swing through the States and Japan, they've broadened their range and tightened their groove. And with Carlos Santana encouraging them to push past whatever impossible levels of excellence they'd achieved the night before, there seems to be no limit on where they can ride with this rhythm.

The fact is that working with Santana was never even an option in Allende's dream catalog. "Never, ever, ever," Allende chuckles. "Getting this gig is one of those things that words can't describe, but I thank God for it every day. I am truly blessed."

Born To Drum.

Yet to those who knew Allende back when he was growing up on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, this was a matter of destiny all along. As soon as he was old enough to grab things and bash them against other things, he was making it clear to everyone within earshot that he was already a percussionist at heart. "My brother Tito and I kept crawling under the sink and banging on pots," he says, "or banging the forks and spoons at the dinner table. Somebody would hit me upside the head: 'Stop making all that noise!' But after a while my uncles took it upon themselves to start teaching us."

Given the size of Allende's family – he is one of seven children, with three brothers and three sisters – it's surprising that anybody could notice anything unusual going on. But Angel and Papiro were no ordinary relatives. Each was an accomplished percussionist: Angel played in pretty much every style, recording and playing with legends like Louis Armstrong, Harry Belafonte, and Stevie Wonder. Papiro stayed more within the Latin market, where he earned his reputation through gigs with Tito Puente, Charlie Palmieri, and other headliners.

Both would drop by Bobby and Tito's place to play records, teach fundamentals, and otherwise usher their nephews into the rhythm world. "And they took us out to the streets," he recalls. "Back then, Central Park was the place to be on Sundays, to learn rumba and rhythms of that nature. Everybody who was anybody in New York would take their drums to the fountain and play all day. My mother would wake us up and get us ready. She'd bang on the door: 'Get up! It's time to go!' She'd pack bags of beans and chicken and salad. We'd get on the subway, and from 10:00 or 11:00 in the morning until maybe 6:00 in the evening we'd be at Central Park. For us, it was like going to church."

Allende heard and saw a lot and absorbed it all. Not all the lessons offered there were about music, though. "It helped me in the sense that I could see what drugs had done to some of the people there," he says. "I thank God now that I had a choice, because there aren't many people in the world who did. I can't even tell you now how it feels to practice or play when I'm high because I've never experienced that. All I can tell you is that I love how I feel."

Even more important than rhythm patterns, drum position, and how to produce a great sound, Angel and Papiro imparted information to Allende that guides him to this day, in and beyond the music itself. "They taught me respect," he insists. "By that I mean respect for each other, for the instrument, for the tradition. That is still the most important thing in music. You can't learn that in a classroom."

Allende learned these basics on a couple of cheap congas that his parents had picked up for him from a pawnshop. Their sound fell short even of his young expectations – after all, there was plenty of upscale, pro-quality percussion to ogle at Central Park – but it was good enough to provide a gateway into the music that was a part of his family and their neighborhood. "My uncles and my mother and my aunt are all palladium dancers," he explains, "so everyone at home had clav; it was natural. And there was music everywhere in the streets too. There was a beautiful courtyard down the block from where I lived, and as I was growing up the Jazzmobile would come around on Riverside Drive at Amsterdam Avenue. You could hear people like Mongo Santamaria, Tito Puente, and a lot of the jazz greats play as the evening came."

The Jazzmobile, a jazz education project conceived by pianist and educator Billy Taylor, was based on the idea of bringing music into neighborhoods, where it could be heard as a part of life rather than as something to be isolated in concert halls or nightclubs. It was, in this sense, a product of an era that in retrospect seems less fractious and divided, whether by niche marketing or hostilities between different cultures. "What I remember was how everyone got along so well as they listened to this music," Allende says. "Music brought people together."

This same spirit applied to his progress as a musician. "The point is that music, back in that era, was music," he explains. "I got to see the best of the best. That's an education you couldn't pay for nowadays. But that's how I learned – by watching, being observant, and then coming home to practice. If I had any doubts, I'd ask questions. It wasn't like, 'Here's this book on how to play. Read it.' It was more about being curious. Don't be obnoxious about it, but don't be afraid to ask: 'How do you do this? Why do you do this? Where does it come from?'"

Rubbing Elbows.

Maybe some of that has to do with the fact that Allende was so young – too young, really, to learn through your typical instructional routines. However it happened, though, he was wailing on skins by the time he was in kindergarten. And through Angel's and Papiro's connections, he hooked up early on with artists who had reached the top tiers of their game – even though to Allende, they were simply guys who played with his uncles.

Buddy Rich, for instance. Allende was maybe eight years old when Angel introduced him to the jazz drumming icon. "You hear all these stories about Buddy Rich, but my experience was that Buddy Rich and I took a liking to each other," Allende says. "We would always be joking around. As soon as I walked into the room, he'd jump up in front of me in this karate stance and start swinging at me and allowing me to swing back at him."

They played together a couple of times too. Allende remembers sitting in with the band at Rich's nightclub. More vivid, though, are memories of their appearance on The Mike Douglas Show. "I remember my brother Tito and me riding in the limousine all the way to Philadelphia," he says. "I got to meet George Kirby there and joke around with Freddie Prinze. And we had these custom-made outfits on, with rhinestones. It was like we were movie stars. I feel terrible, actually, that I never saw Buddy in the later years. It would have been great so get back together with him and reminisce."

A year or so after meeting Buddy Rich, Allende got to know Tito Puente through his other uncle, Papiro. "I remember seeing him play and noticing how much the people in his audience enjoyed what was going on," he says. "To see him leading that band and entertaining everyone with his playing and his charisma and his clowning ways, that motivated me to want to do the same thing. To this day, I love to entertain. It gives me a lot of joy when people enjoy what I do."

Allende would share the stage with Puente for a number of years, as a member of the Rumberito All Stars, a group of young Latin musicians who became the timbalero's regular opening act. Their story traces back to the day that Allende and a friend, future Allman Brothers percussionist Marc Quiones, sat in on a Puente show at Roberto Clemente State Park, just off the Harlem River in the Bronx. With guidance from Puente and Papiro, the All Stars took shape around Quiones and Allende, who remembers their friendly competitiveness fondly. "Playing with Marc was like coming to a gang fight," he laughs. "At first we'd give each other that initial look – and here we are, 30 years later, and there's not a day that goes by without us speaking to each other. He's like my brother."

There were other talented young players among the All Stars. Jose "Juicy" Jusino, who would later perform with La India, Celia Cruz, and other major artists, is an alumnus. Others were less fortunate. "There was this kid named Harry," Allende remembers. "He was an excellent player, with an incredible sound and a great mind for the rumba. When he played, it was like, 'Where does he get these ideas?' He could have gone really far but he got lost to the streets."

While they were all young and strong, through, the Rumberitos tore it up. Allende was just nine or ten when they played their first official gig – at Madison Square Garden, no less, before 20,000 screaming fans on a bill headlined by Puente and Julio Iglesias. More work filled the years that followed. They played nightspots like Ipanema and the Colgate Gardens. Occasionally they were booked at uptown venues, such as Avery Fischer Hall. But Allende has never forgotten those fiery sets at the Corso, on 86th Street and 8th Avenue, where Puente packed the place each Wednesday night.

"It was like Birdland or the Cotton Club, because only the best of the best played there," he says. "I stood in front of the stage and heard all these people I idolized, from all over the world. I'd just soak it all in. Then we'd go on at maybe 1:15 in the morning – and I had to go to school the next day. We'd just sleep on the tables in the club until it was our turn to play."

A Fate Cast In Stone.

The clock ticked slowly through Allende's high school years. It was obvious to everyone that he was waiting for the day when he could break out of his classroom routine, or what was left of it, and commit full-time to music. And opportunity wasn't just knocking at the time; it was pounding impatiently at the door, demanding that he come out and play. He made it practically to the end, through almost all of twelfth grade, but shortly before earning his last credits for graduation Allende decided he couldn't wait any more. "I didn't get my diploma," he shrugs. "I was so busy with local gigs that I didn't even think about how much you need school. Nowadays, I enforce that attitude with my children. I just wish I had stuck with it a little longer myself."

Drums: Pearl Bobby Allende Signature Fiberglass Congas
1. 12.5" x 28" Tumba
2. 11.75" x 28" Conga

On leaving school Allende got a day job in a Wall Street mailroom. His nights were devoted to gigs – long, late gigs that left him bleary and ill prepared for the early morning time clock. During his first week playing congas with Santiago Ceron's band he played nine full shows: "When I came to that last one I was in a lot of pain, and my fingers were so taped up that I couldn't hardly get a sound out of the drum. The thing is, I wanted to impress the older cats. I didn't want to let them down, so I played the hardest I could. And by the end of the week, I was hurting bad. It was," he concludes, with a smile, "wonderful."

Wonderful, that is, because it worked. The elders in New York's Latin music community took notice of the young conga wizard. "I got involved with a bunch of these guys and started picking their brains," he says. "I would hang out with Eddie Montalvo, who was my idol. And he'd say to me, 'Bobby, I got a recording today with Hector Lavoe. You want to come along?' I'd sit in the booth, watch the recording, and then ask Eddie all about it. And when he played live, I'd stand right in front and watch him. Eddie was totally entertaining. And he knew how to slap the drums and make it sound like a gunshot. From watching him and asking him questions, I learned that the drum is something you dominate. You don't let it dominate you. You work to find that 'sweet spot' to get your sound. You work on the form of your hand, building calluses. And you don't over-kill yourself; you just practice easily and it comes. Every time I speak with Eddie today, I remind him of how much an idol he still is. Of course, he just brushes me off and changes the subject – but I keep saying it anyway because I like to see him blush."

Big Breaks.

Then, at age 17 or 18, Allende got an offer he simply could not turn down. "I was playing at the Copacabana, back when it was on 51st Street," he says. "We were downstairs, and somebody came in and told me that Ralph Irizarry was looking for me. So I went upstairs, and Ralph says, 'What are you doing this week? Rubn Blades needs a conga player to play with us in Paris and Switzerland. I recommended you.' I was like, 'You don't have to ask me twice. When is the trip?' He says, 'In two days.'"

Somehow he got a passport in time to make the flight to Europe. That marked the beginning of eight years with Blades, whose band at the time included Irizarry, keyboardist Oscar Hernandez, drummer Robby Ameen. But this was just the beginning: the run with Blades put him in place for other high-profile positions, including music director for Willie Coln, Marc Anthony, and La India, and on percussion for the Broadway production of Paul Simon's musical, The Capeman.

He's still involved in assorted musical projects, including an ongoing association with the 16-piece Spanish Harlem Orchestra and as music director for Tito Nieves. But, of course, the opportunity to play with Santana turned his life around. They'd actually played together as far back as 1986, when the guitarist and Rubn Blades shared the stage at the Amnesty International Festival. It took 20 years, though, for the offer for a full-time gig to arrive. Allende, of course, said yes, and in the next morning's mail there came a ton of Santana CDs. All had to be learned ASAP.

"I think everyone began hating me," he laughs, "because from that point all I played was Santana – in the car, in the living room, in the bedroom, on my iPod. But I had to learn this material, because I don't like to have people wait on me. And I'd say that by the time I went to rehearsal, I'd learned 97 percent of everything he'd recorded."

Allende has never taken a job lightly, but he admits that he's been through nothing quite like this one. "You can't go half-assed on this gig at all," he explains. "You have to bring your A-Game, because there's no slacking off. Carlos wants a thousand percent, even at sound checks. I don't blame him, because that's what he gives. That, to me, is a challenge. It makes me want to play more. I can go up there with pains in my fingers and I'll forget about it because it's like, 'You'd better jump onboard, because this train is leaving with or without you.'"

However, right before this issue went to press, Allende found himself back on the rails rather than riding the train. Santana's management company called to inform him that the bandleader decided to rehire Raul Rekow, the conguero that Allende replaced. "Raul spoke to Carlos, and Carlos felt that he wanted to give him another chance," Allende explains. "I understand and respect loyalty. After 30 years [playing together] it's almost like a marriage. I have no bitter feelings about it at all. I loved the experience. I got to play with a legend."

So he's once again back home in New York, staying connected to the city that gave him his music. He'll probably still be in Central Park too, though you're more likely to find him playing softball than congas. "They don't do those drum things on Sundays anymore," he says, "but if they did, I'd still be there."

Edited by Qwest - 19 years ago

Quote

Not Given

@Chippeshwini

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 19 years ago

#26

heyy plz add my name!
i was the one who proposed this idea!
lol jk... plz add me 😊

Quote

Swar_Raj

@Swar_Raj

Inactive

Posted: 19 years ago

#27

Originally posted by: Qwest

Santanas To Be Honored For Helping Children

In 1998, Carlos and Deborah Santana started the Milagro Foundation to benefit underprivileged children worldwide in the areas of health, education and the arts. The Santanas will be honored for that effort at the 3rd Annual Tequio Awards on March 1. The awards are given by CRLA (California Rural Legal Assistance) to recognize charitable efforts on behalf of the poor.
(Photo: Carlos Santana is recognized at halftime of a 2004 Oakland Raiders game for the Milagro Foundation he founded with his wife, Deborah.
- PR Newswire Photo Service)

We reaally have very few people that would do somthing this great after acheiving fame 👏👏

Thanks Rachna..added your name😃

Quote

Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

Inactive

Posted: 19 years ago

#28

Jo Frances' Family, 1946

From left to right: Jo Francis, Grandmother Virgina Willis & Aunt Nita in San Clemente, CA.

Photograph: King Family

Kitsaun, Deborah & Ki, 1958

in front of their home in San Francisco, CA

Photograph: King Family

Class Photo, 1958

Deborah's second grade elementary school class photo, San Miguel School, May 13th,1958. (Deborah- top row, third from right)

Deborah, Song Girl, 1968

Lowell High School

Photograph: King Family

Kitsaun and Rita Gentry, March 1st, 2005

Book Release Party, Starlight Room

Deborah, Carlos & Wayne Shorter, 1988

backstage at the Blues for Salvador benefit concert for the NEST Foundation (New El Salvador Today), Oakland, Ca

Deborah 4/10/2005

Unity in Marin Book signing,Novato, CA.

Deborah Santana

Deborah & Carlos, 2003

Edited by Qwest - 19 years ago

Quote

Bob Chowdhury

@Qwest

Inactive

Posted: 19 years ago

#29

Photograph: Robin Fryday

"In writing this memoir, I have followed a labyrinth to my heart and become aware that the wholeness I saw in others existed in the struggles and triumphs of my life and my marriage, in the loving-kindness of years survived and cherished. The words in this book are my remembrance of what I have lived on my journey, a prayer to my amplified life, nuggets of truth from my soul. May each reader see their own life as sacred, every experience as holy."

— Deborah Santana, from the preface to Space Between the Stars: My Journey to an Open Heart

In her first book, Space Between the Stars: My Journey to an Open Heart, Deborah Santana reflects back on the passage of time and experience that have forged her soul and spirit and intellect, and looks forward with a vision of growth, renewal and liberation. Mark Bryan, co-author of The Artist's Way at Work, has said that Ms. Santana's memoir sheds light on, "the power of the human spirit to prevail over the shadows of the human mind."

Saunders King

Ultimately, Deborah Santana delivers a universal message about seeking one's own unique voice. With grace and wisdom, she explores issues of faith, spirituality, race, sexuality, love, marriage, motherhood and womanhood. She examines the practice of writing itself, and shares her ongoing quest to believe in and express her best self—and, in doing so, to love and serve humanity.

In this very personal telling of her individual metamorphosis, Santana also paints a dramatic picture of a shifting America, a culture in profound transition. Acclaimed author Natalie Goldberg said of Space Between the Stars, "Beautifully written, full of fine detail, it breaks illusions about gurus, rock stars, and stereotypes about race. This is a dynamic memoir of an extraordinary woman's life. I fell in love with the people who raised her, with the old streets of California and with the hard, aching, real tests of becoming a mature, compassionate human being."

Born in San Francisco, California in the 1950s, Deborah Santana grew up in a biracial family. Her father, pioneering African-American blues guitarist and singer Saunders King, and her mother, independent Irish/British-American career woman Jo Frances King, married before interracial unions were legal in many states—and at a time when wives were not expected to work outside the home. Raised in a colorblind household where it was believed all dreams were possible, Deborah came of age listening to the speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the songs of Mahalia Jackson and Louis Armstrong. She developed her sense of equality and social justice within this context of great and historic change.

The love and fortitude that Ms. Santana absorbed from her family provided a core of strength going forward, as she continued on her life's path and built her own family. Following a move to Los Angeles for college, and a subsequent--and tumultuous—early personal relationship, Ms. Santana moved back to San Francisco in the early 1970s. She met musician Carlos Santana at a Tower of Power concert at the Marin Civic Center; they married in 1973, have three children together and still reside in the San Francisco Bay area. Through joy, heartbreak and transcendence, Space Between the Stars recounts much of their life journey together.

Jo Frances King

Ms. Santana's emergence as a successful entrepreneur also dates back to the early '70s. At the age of twenty-two, she owned and managed a thriving vegetarian restaurant in the heart of San Francisco. In 1994, she and Carlos assumed the management of the Santana Band, and today, Deborah oversees all related operations and activities. In 1998, Ms. Santana and her husband also established the Milagro Foundation, a non-profit organization serving children and youth in the areas of health, education and the arts. Since its inception, Milagro—which means miracle—has granted over $2 million to agencies and programs worldwide.

The Milagro Foundation was born out a lifetime of humanitarian and social outreach that Deborah and Carlos Santana have pursued, providing a means to support many of the causes that were brought to their attention. In 2000, Ms. Santana received the UCLA Csar E. Chvez Spirit Award in recognition of her philanthropic work. In 2004, she received a Women of Distinction Award from the Founder Region Soroptimist International of the Americas for her outstanding achievements in business and leadership. She and Carlos also received recognition from YOUTHAIDS for their efforts battling the AIDS pandemic in Africa, including their work with Artists For A New South Africa.

Carlos & Deborah (2003)

Ever growing and learning, Ms. Santana offers her writing and work so that others may perceive life as a walk towards compassion and selfless love. She says, "The main thing for me is transformation. Life happens to all of us, and we make choices. Sometimes those choices are fabulous and sometimes they give us a really hard lesson. But we can grow to be strong and beautiful people who have love at the core of their beings." Ms. Santana is currently writing future works of both fiction and memoir.

Edited by Qwest - 19 years ago