MY DINNER WITH CARLOS SANTANA

The life of Carlos Santana is best heard on CD.

Carlos Santana and I had dinner together, lunch, breakfast and snacks as I listened to him as he told me about his life on the 16 CD box set called "The Universal Tone - Bringing My Story to Light". 

His voice is so soothing as he told me about his life in Mexico when his parents were dirt poor yet they never missed a meal. How his father a guitar player was constantly on gigs and the struggles of his mother. He talked about how is father gave him violin then guitar lessons.  The first five CDs were all about growing up and how the family moved frequently. From an early age, Carlos was very interested in developing his own sound an constantly pursued his vision.  He never sold out to play parties.  

By listening to records repeatedly with his friends and family, Carlos was able to pull out the most interesting passages and work his sound around the musicians he most respected like Miles Davis, Gabor Szabo  (a deep favorite of mine) and John Coltrane. The funny thing is that I never knew that the group Malo was created by his brother. 

From an early age, Carlos was so determined to get his sound translated into the instruments that a band provides that the right musicians just came to him. 

I wished we would have heard some music on the CD set like Samba Pa Ti and how it developed. When I listen to his music now I have a deeper understanding of his path. Listen to Soul Sacrifice. If that doesn't move you nothing will. What a perfect sound.

I got to hear about every member of the Santana band -- the good and the bad.   How he performed at Woodstock high as a kite and how he left drugs behind. 

His insights on the Virgin of Guadalupe and how he said she saved him. Then, as he progresses in his spiritual path, Carlos credits  the Arc Angel Metratron with providing him with a lot of recognition. He has meditated on Metratron since the mid 90s.  Hear his tribute to him the the album Supernatural will take you to a deeper place.  

He's a family man. A caring father. A loving son to his parents. A profound musician. He took his gift all around the world.  

Carlos musical journey wasn't easy. He wasn't a good business person until his wife Deborah took over the group. Carlos and Deborah started a vegetarian restaurant, one of the first, in California.  The couple found out about Sri Chinmoy  who took them to a new spiritual level. Both have started the Milagro Foundation to serve the needs of undeserved and vulnerable children. 

Definitely no saint, into drugs and marching to his own beat, Carlos contributions to the planet have been immense. 

Listen to the CD set rather than read the book. He talks directly to you -- humbly and sincerely. Then he tells you what you are capable of doing.