Carlos Santana may well be the greatest guitar player alive today. In fact, of my personal list of the five greatest guitar players in American history, Carlos is the only one who is still alive.
Early death due to substance abuse seems to be an occupational hazard. It’s even hit my own family; my second cousin’s father was a sax player in Burt Bacharach’s band, and he died of complications of alcoholism.
Carlos, though, seems to be thriving. He has a unique style with the guitar, one that has changed over the years, becoming more complex and, at times, more mellow. I listen to him a lot, even though a lot of his work is performed with lyrics in Spanish, which I don’t savvy. But you don’t have to understand the words to enjoy great tunes. So, with no further ado, here are six great pieces from Santana.
Corazon Espinado. From the 1999 album “Supernatural,” this song,…
