Santana at 65: Still Magic

When the first Santana album was released, I was a sophomore in high school. Don't go doing the math, all my age means is I was there when all the incredible music came out. It was also about this time when I was starting to have different kinds of...fun. Now I was never the biggest party girl out there, but I wasn't exactly staying home every night of the week either. It was a different era, and it was fun as all hell.

My best friend in high school was someone I can still call on the phone after not speaking to her for six months...and pick up exactly where we left off. Well, she and her older sister shared an attic bedroom. Actually it was a full attic, so they had two bedrooms and a full bathroom. An entire floor away from the parents...and her parents NEVER came upstairs. Needless to say, this was where all the girls hung out on a daily basis.

The day she brought home Santana, the album with the black and white lion, we sat around drinking a little Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill (not exactly the good stuff, but we were underage and you drank what you could get someone (who was legal) to buy for you. Side one began with "Waiting", then into "Evil Ways." When side one ended with "Jingo,"we all looked at each other in disbelief.  This was music like we had never heard. The guitar, the percussion, the rhythm. We listened to that album everyday for months.

The next year when "Abraxas" was released, we did the same thing all over again. Today, just as back then, the sound of Carlos Santana's guitar was unmistakable.

Today, Carlos Santana turns 65.  In honor of the man whose music inspired me and at the same time helped to destroy so many brain cells, let's taste a few great live performances.

Be inspired and if it's not too early...knock off a few brain cells.

"Oye Como Va" ...starting the fun
"Samba Pa Ti" ...smooth, smoky and joyful.
"Soul Sacrifice" ...last track on the first album. after looking at each other like WTF, we played the album again.
"Jingo" ...absolutely blistering hot version with Clapton helping out. play it LOUD.
"Smooth" ...still creating magic after all these years. great vocal by Rob Thomas

...never mind your feet movin', your ass best be out of the chair and dancin'

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