Santana - Caravanserai

The best of their jazz-rock years

Jazz ideas had already been creeping into Santana's music on tracks like "Incident at Neshabur" and "Toussaint L'Overture", but Caravanserai boldly moved deep into jazz-rock territory. The upbeat and catchy Latin rock of the band's first 3 albums was replaced by a more meditative, abstract and instrumentally-focused style influenced by Miles Davis's early electric bands and Chick Corea's Return to Forever.

Most of the band's original members are still here (Gregg Rolie, Mike Shrieve, Chepito Areas) but their roles have changed dramatically. Mike Shrieve suddenly steps up in the compositional department and his drumming really improves. Check out his Elvin Jones-isms on "Waves Within". Gregg Rolie sticks to keyboards (lots of electric piano) and the remaining vocals are pleasantly inconsequential. Guests make a big difference -- Tom Rutley's acoustic bass is a nice touch on many of the tunes, and future keyboardist Tom Coster makes his first appearance on a Santana album. Carlos and Neil Schon play off each other really well. The tunes range all over the map, from the epic "Every Step of the Way" (the guitar riff that ends the intro is awesome) to serious funk ("Look Up") to percussion duets ("Future Primitive").

The influence of Latin music is still here in a big way with the gentle Jobim cover "Stone Flower" and the grooving instrumental "La Fuente del Ritmo", but people expecting the Classic Santana will be disappointed. Nevertheless this is one of Santana's best albums, right up there with Abraxas; whereas their later jazz-rock efforts were often mixed bags, it works here in a big way.

[This review is based on the original CD version, which has an identical tracklist; I would assume the 2003 reissue has better sound.] May 4, 2008

Almost A Masterpiece

I can understand why some people thought this was where Santana fell apart as a group; I mean after all they were looking for the next "Evil Ways", or "Black Magic Woman". However, this was the answer Santana wanted to give to the changing world around them. It did cause Gregg Rolie, and Neal Schon to depart, and form Journey, but in a way it caused Carlos to mature as a musician. Side 1 of this is a perfect album side right from "Eternal Caravans of Recreation" To "All The Love In The Universe". "Eternal" is a thing of beauty right from the get go of the crickets chirping to the music that would bring it out to the end. I grew up listening to my grandparents record collection in which there was alot of precussion music, and hearing "Eternal" reminded me of this, "Waves Within" is a underwater dream, "Look Up" is a remainder of the early incarnation of Santana, "Just In Time" is another remainder, "Song Of The Wind" is peace like a river, "All The Love" is a fusion classic, as well as the song that ends the album on side 2 which is "Every Step Of The Way". It does fall apart a bit on "Future Primative", and "La Fuente Del Ritmo", but they're both o.k., the weakest song on here is "Stone Flower". Santana would break the mold, and in the same stroke reinvent Latin Rock with this. Unfortunately, the critics weren't open minded enough to catch on. Like I said I can understand why some say this is where Santana fell apart as a group, but then again those who left the group had another path to follow, and weren't open to what Carlos was wanting to say. February 18, 2008

When Santana Went To Hell in a Hand Basket!

Sorry, but i know i'm in the minority here, but this album was when Santana went from great rock to something i have never understood. It's not "great rock" to me---------(we need Greg Rollie back!) The only thing they did after Santana 1,2, and 3 that was worthy of any merit was "Z-Bop". January 13, 2008

A lost classic

It's not given much credit, but In a Silent Way was a downright revolutionary album, in a way more influential than Bitches Brew. So what does that have to do with Santana? I am convinced it was Carlos' chief influence when he went in the studio to record this one. Sure, the Davis influence was always clear in Santana's music, but it always took a back chair to that of Jimi Hendrix and Tito Puente. But here, it dominates: this is a jazz record through and through, and one that obviously wasn't too successful, seeing that it contained no obvious singles. But I don't mind that. I mean, "Open Invitation" was an obvious single, wasn't it? This is one of Santana's finest achievements, partially because it's just him exploring whatever territory he wants to, rather than just giving the people what they want. And partially because the arrangements are varied enough to keep you interested ("Look Up" is funky; "Just in Time to See the Sun" is a pretty good fusion track), the two lengthy suites are ambitious and worthwhile, filled with enough changes, riffs, and paradigm shifts to keep your attention (the Hendrixian funk meets progressive Latin-jazz fused with Yes-like harmonies "All the Love of the Universe", with some sweet organ playing; "Every Step of the Way", which especially recalls Miles in its lengthy, shimmering intro), Santana's playing is often beautiful ("Song of the Wind"), and if you get bored with all that, the percussive, propulsive "La Fuente Del Ritmo" should wake you up.. Some of it does step into Drabtopia, like the Bitches Brew-esque "Future Primitive" and the Latin folk "Stone Flower". But those form a small minority, making this a Santana essential.
November 18, 2007

Caravan Dreams

Man has always used music to help him journey to places outside of himself.

Using techniques as varied as shamanic drumming to Tibetan throat singing, realms of reality beyond the confines of our material reality have been accessible for tens of thousands of years.

Save for a few exceptional people, Western man lost his ability to see behind the shadows of reality around the time René Descartes said "I think, therefore I am" when materialistic dualism and scientific rationalism were born.

Yet, while music in Western culture has seldom sought to re-capture the transcendental vibrational essence of more primitive times, I've been fortunate to discover a few moments of recorded music over the years that truly touched my soul.

So it is with "Caravanserai". The first track, "Eternal Caravan of Reincarnation", and the last track, "Every Step of the Way", come about as close as I've ever experienced to a sense of true ecstacy.

When I first heard this seminal album in its pristine vinyl state way back in the early 70's, I was just at the beginning of a adult life; a life that held a sense of adventure and happiness promised to the Baby Boom generation by parents whose own lives were colored by Depression and War.

Now, some thirty-five years later, I've reached late middle age and many of those youthful promises have faded or disappeared altogether for my fellow "Boomers" and myself.

Then I heard a brief excerpt from this album and immediately ordered the CD. When I first listened to it, I was disappointed that the musical fluidity that had marked the album had been chopped up into individual tracks for the CD.

Still, the joy I felt listening to the two tracks above was what I wanted to rediscover, and the sense of creative joy that bubbled up and was expressed through the artists on those tracks once again delightfully sent me on those caravan dreams; just as they did so very long ago.


September 19, 2007

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