Santana Live

While Carlos Santana is not a particularly dynamic player visually, it is a treat to watch the seemingly effortless way he churns out his trademark guitar riffs. And, many of his band members over the years have been spectacular, from the volatile powerhouse Jose Chepito Areas (timbales) and his partner, conguero Michael Carabello, to Santana’s current team of Karl Perazzo and Raul Rekow.In addition, a number of these DVDs feature guest stars: ’70s vocal/drum icon Buddy Miles, jazz-fusion impresarios John McLaughlin (guitar), Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea(keyboards), Wayne Shorter (sax), and many others. All in all, there’s a lot of footage whereby you can enjoy Santana live over and over.

Latin-Rock Video

Check out the new video for this guitar and percussion-driven song by the leading Santana Tribute and Latin-rock band.

Watch the Video

Viva Santana! Eclectic collection of video clips from Santana shows during the ’70s and ’80s, and featuring both Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon(later of Journey fame). The footage alternates between color and black and white, and has audio commentary laid over every song. Definitely a specific kind of product. Latin-Rock Video Check out the new video for this guitar and percussion-driven song by the leading Santana Tribute and Latin-rock band. Watch the Video Santana Live at Montreux Mostly jazz-influenced numbers, especially notable for the performances of guest stars Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and John McLaughlin, among other. Tracks include straightforward songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind” (Dylan) and “Imagine” (John Lennon), alongside ones from Carlos Santana’s experimental period, with cuts from Caravanserai and Love Devotion Surrender. Carlos Santana & Wayne Shorter This was filmed during the 2-year partnership of Carlos Santana and jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter. A little more like Weather Report than classic Santana, and Carlos is a bit overshadowed by the improv chops of Shorter and keyboardist Patrice Rushen in this genre. But it catches a critical point in the growth of Carlos Santana’s legendary guitar voice. Santana at Budokan Certainly one of the more esoteric collections of Santana songs, this DVD is a great look at tunes you don’t often hear, like “Blues for Salvador,” and “Spirits Dancing in the Flesh.” Recorded in Tokyo, Japan, in 1991.

Supernatural Live Following up on the phenomenal success of 1999’s multi-grammy winning album Supernatural, this video puts Carlos Santana, the band, and various guest stars (Rob Thomas and others) in front of a small, appreciative audience. Excellent sound and video quality. Sacred Fire: Live in South America The sound and video quality of this 1993 release is excellent. There are some “arty” shots of Carlos playing guitar in odd locations, but mostly it’s just Santana Live at their best. The band features Jorge Santana, who does a nice solo in “Guajira,” especially. Santana Live by Request Slick (but not overly so) film of a 2004 concert that was originally broadcast on TV. Guest stars include Michelle Branch (“The Game of Love”), Rob Thomas (“Smooth, “Dame Tu Amor”), and The Product G&B (“Maria Maria”). Show split between early and later material. Santana Live in Australia in the ’70s While the video quality is so-so, the sound is excellent for this 50-minute film of a concert down under. However, except for hardcore Santana fans, this is probably not the best choice. One notable guest is rock drummer Carmine Appice on “Evil Ways.”