Journalism of Courage
The summer of 1969 was epic Flower Children across the World were basking in the glory of the Summer of Love,rock n roll was at its peak and a hippie renaissance of sorts was taking over. It was also the year the legendary three-day-long Woodstock Festival took place at Bethel,New York,in August. More than five lakh music aficionados flocked the area and on Day Two a young Carlos Santana with his band,also called Santana,performed a 45-minute-long set and Soul Sacrifice,the instrumental track,became an instant hit,as did the guitarist,Santana.
On October 28,an entire generation that missed watching the Latin rock guitarist live,will get a chance as he gets set to perform at Galgotias University near Buddh International Circuit in the Capital as part of F1 Rocks with Vladivar. Even though this is officially my first visit to India,I had a spiritual guru from 1972 to 1981. I would like to see temples. They dont have to be rich or lavish. They can be simple but powerful, says Santana. He hasnt kept his spiritual side hidden and promises a memoir that will release next year. He says,It is all about spiritual triumph,and away from the usual tradition of shallow juicy stories. It is more about sharing with the spiritual mechanics and how I was able to grow. Till that makes an appearance at a bookstore near you,give his latest instrumental album,Shape Shifter,that released earlier this year,a listen.
Apart from musical influences such as blues performers B.B. King and John Lee Hooker,Santana also credits visionaries from various fields for his success. He says,I still see my parents guiding me. From Einstein and Sri Aurobindo to Leonardo da Vinci and Picasso the key is focus. The sound I have is symbiotic and it cuts across geographies and generations.
