CARLOS SANTANA GUITAR LEGEND!

CARLOS SANTANA GUITAR LEGEND!

Source: Speak Up

Language Level: Upper Intermediate

Standard: American

Speaker: Chuck Rolando

Carlos Santana is generally considered one of the world’s greatest living guitarists. He was born in Mexico and moved to San Francisco as a teenager. His first success as a musician came in 1969 when his band, which was simply called “Santana,” played at the Woodstock Festival. Santana didn’t yet have a record deal, but since then he has sold over 100 million albums.

And that figure will doubtless increase with his latest album, Guitar Heaven: The greatest Guitar Classics of All Time: It features cover versions of songs like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by The Beatles, “Riders on the Storm” by The Doors and “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple. As Santana explains, he chose the tracks with Clive Davis, the famous record industry executive who gave him his first recording deal all those years ago:

Carlos Santana

(Mexican accent)

Clive Davis selected seven and I selected seven. I selected the songs that, for me, resonate more from the point of like when I used t take LSD or acid or mescaline or peyote. “Riders of The Storm” is a very, very trippy song: “Sunshine of Your Love,” of course; “ A Whole Lotta Love,” of course: Guitar Gently Weeps,” of course. So I chose the songs that for me, even a blind man – or, actually, especially a blind man – would see it, because all of those songs are very, very visual. I think that the ones that Clive selects are more songs that have to do with the aesthetics of radio which I don’t know much about, but I learned to trust him with it.

BIG IN GERMANY

Santana also enjoys international success. His music is particularly popular in Germany.

Carlos Santana

Ever since 1970, when we went to Europe, I think something happened between Germany and Santana, just like Germany and Metallica, you know! I think that, for some reason, people in Germany – it might be a misperception on my part – yet it seems like, you know, there’s something about German consciousness that is…really deals with discipline. Their cars don’t break down!

Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, they have a certain discipline. And because they are so disciplined, sometimes, when they hear Santana, it gives them a free ride to be loose and not be so rigid with efficiency and accuracy. Those are incredible qualities: don’t get me wrong: I wish we had them in America! But, at the same time, there’s a balance, you know, there’s a balance between being really loose and being really, really rigid. So, when Santana comes to town, I think it gives them that free ride ticket of like “Hey, you know, take off your shoes and relax” and, like a dog shakes water. “Shake it!” You know . and I think that’s one of the main ingredients why people identify with Santana. It validates for them to…not to be so serious.

EATING AT MARIA MARIA

Nor does he limit his activity to music. He also owns a chain of restaurants:

Carlos Santana

For me, what I learned (learnt) from Europe is that sometimes a chef spends like 20 years developing a sauce. So when he serves you this food and you ask for ketchup, I mean, he wants to like kill you, you know! So, it’s the same thing with…”Maria Maria” is an opportunity to introduce humans to a different kind of cuisine. Whether it’s a shoes or restaurant (s) or whatever, people align with us, gives us an opportunity to give that money straight to (the) Milagro Foundation and be of service. We passed the mark of $4 million that we have given around the world to children all over the place, different foundation and stuff like that.