CARLOS SANTANA INTERVIEW #1
(Originally aired on December 18, 2008)
Santana is among the few guitarists who are immediately identifiable from the first notes they play. In the late '60s, Santana's groundbreaking mix of blues guitar and Latin percussion propelled him and his band to the forefront of the San Francisco scene. The Santana band's performance at Woodstock in 1969 — which included an 11-minute version of "Soul Sacrifice" featured in the Woodstock film — made instant celebrities of the former dishwasher and his fiery bandmates. Since his Fillmore days, Santana has continued to explore genres and guitar tones. Collaborations with Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, Los Lonely Boys and other blues, jazz, rock and hip-hop artists have given Santana an unusually rich and diverse catalog of recorded music.
In our exclusive feature, excerpted from a 2002 interview, Santana explains how he views the more mystical aspects of musicianship, and how he draws inspiration from guitarists Bola Sete, Kenny Burrell, Charlie Christian, Wes Montgomery, Jimi Hendrix and B.B. King, as well as the pioneering jazz saxophonist, John Coltrane.