20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Carlos Santana plots low-key Bay Area return with guest spot at SFJazz Center
Carlos Santana is set to make a low-key return to the Bay Area next month for a pair of concerts at the San Francisco Jazz Center.
The appearances come just a year after the legendary guitarist drew headlines for chastising his fans at Shoreline Amphitheatre as 'old people.'
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist is scheduled to join his wife and drummer, Cindy Blackman Santana, as a special guest during her two-night run at the Robert N. Miner Auditorium on Sept. 13 and 14, SFJazz announced Monday, Aug. 18.
The shows will feature an all-star lineup including Ravi Coltrane on saxophone, Patrice Rushen on keyboards, Aurélien Budynek on guitar and Benny Rietveld on bass.
Blackman Santana, a powerhouse drummer known for her 17-year tenure with Lenny Kravitz and deep roots in jazz, has led an eclectic career that spans post-bop to jazz-rock fusion. She currently anchors the Santana band and released her most recent solo album, 'Give the Drummer Some,' in 2020.
Santana's upcoming appearance follows a controversial August 2024 show in Mountain View, where the 78-year-old musician chided the Shoreline audience for what he perceived as a lack of energy.
'Right here at home, it feels like we're at the home. The old people's house,' the Woodstock veteran, best known for hits 'Black Magic Woman' and 'Smooth,' told the crowd of 17,000. 'Go Santana banana f—ing crazy, man.'
The performance, delivered mostly from a seated position due to chronic back issues, came amid a wave of health-related cancellations. Santana has postponed several dates over the past year, including Texas and Las Vegas shows, due to COVID-19 and a planned back procedure.
The couple last performed together at SFJazz Center in 2023.
'There's nothing like it,' Blackman Santana told the Chronicle at the time. 'You can play in your practice room for a hundred years, but until you're really getting out there and playing in front of and with people experiencing all of life's roller-coaster ride and putting that all into the music, you're missing out on something special.'
