Carlos Santana had Eric Clapton join him on one song, “The Calling,” on his 1999 album, Supernatural, and he’s often hinted at wanting to do more, including in a new interview with American Songwriter.
“Eric and I, we were talking about doing an album together, something more like [The] Good, [the] Bad and the Ugly kind of thing,” a reference to the 1966 Spaghetti Western film with a score by Italian composer Ennio Morricone.
“I just heard that my brother Eric Clapton is celebrating 80 years, and I’m right behind him,” added Carlos. “And I’m very grateful that Eric and I, we’re still relevant. You know, we can still show up and people show up, and we’re able to uplift people. … We just play, and then they get up off their seats, and it’s kind of like a hallelujah revival, Holy Spirit kind of thing…
“That’s what music’s supposed to do, elevate you out of your existence and to a place where you also feel your own divinity and your own light. That’s real music.”
The 77-year old Santana just released a new collaborative album, Sentient, and he just recorded a song with Grupo Frontera, a Texas-based band that plays regional Mexican music. It was his first session since breaking a finger on his left hand from a fall at home earlier this year.
“I was a little nervous because, you know, it was quite an accident,” said Carlos. “For a microsecond, I was scared [about] if I was ever going to be able to play again, ’cause I really did break my … baby finger, and the one next to it. And those are the expression fingers, you know. But to my delight, I had no problem playing … I was able to dig in deep into the music.”
The song will be out in late May. Until then, Carlos will be on the road with his first show set for next Wednesday, April 16th, in Highland, California.
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