'Supernatural' Occurrence at Jones Beach
PUBLICATION: Newsday
BY: Steve Matteo. Steve Matteo is a freelance writer.
EDITION: ALL EDITIO
SECTION: Part2
DATE: 07-31-2000
B11
MUSIC REVIEW
SANTANA. Veteran Latin rocker mixes old favorites with pop-tinged
collaborations, with Macy Gray. Saturday night at Jones Beach.
UNTIL RECENTLY, many fans of Carlos Santana's biggest hits and
classic albums may have wondered what had become of the Latin-rock
guitar legend since the '70s. At the same time, many new fans have only
just discovered him through the multi-Grammy success of his 1999
release, "Supernatural." To really feel the magic of Santana's music,
however, one must see him live.
Live performances helped nurture the group Santana in the '60s.
Starting out as the Santana Blues Band, it developed its sound and
honed its craft in ballrooms and on concert stages in the mid-to- late
'60s San Francisco music scene. As with the Grateful Dead and
Jefferson Airplane, among others, venues such as the Avalon,
Winterland and Bill Graham's fabled Fillmore West served as the stage
where the group's sound metamorphosed. Ultimately, it was
Santana's breathtaking set at Woodstock that launched the group in
1969.
More than 30 years of playing live has not diminished the power of a
Santana show. Mixing the improvisation of jazz, the rhythms of
Latin music, the blues base of rock and pop from "Supernatural,"
Santana and his band tore up Jones Beach in a show that lasted nearly
two hours and 15 minutes on the first night of a two-night stand.
The centerpiece of the show was, of course, the fuzzy, searing guitar
licks of the 53-year-old, Mexican-born Santana. Backed by a solid
band, he was able to maintain the classic flavor of songs such as the
back-to-back "Black Magic Woman" and "Oye Como Va," which were
staples of FM radio's salad days. Songs from "Supernatural" worked
even without all the guest stars that appeared on the album. The lucky
New York crowd was, however, treated to surprise appearances from
Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas on "Smooth" and from the Long
Island duo The Product G&B on "Maria Maria."
Throughout the show, Santana was content to hang back a bit, and
for the most part allow the spotlight to shine on his powerful backing
group and guests. The music burned from the first song, and little of
Santana's mellower sound was in evidence.
One of the final showstoppers was a rousing "Jingo," during which
Santana introduced the band and guests. He also acknowledged the
impact that both Bob Marley and John Coltrane have had on his music
and life, and then left the exhausted crowd without doing an encore.
The magical spirit of Carlos Santana, whose recent success is a
testament to a legendary musical figure, was on full display on the
overcast night.
Macy Gray proved a formidable opening act, with her quirky and
endearing pop-soul sound. Dressed as equally funky as her music, Gray
seemed to have all the right influences down. Her loose, joyful and
effervescent set included not only samplings from such television
themes as "Sanford and Son," "I Dream of Jeanie" and "The Odd
Couple," but a reggae-ish cover of Melanie's "Brand New Key." Her hit,
"I Try," was quietly slipped into the set with an abbreviated, slowed
down, gospel-tinged arrangement. "Sexomatic" included an audience
participation portion that would make Chris Rock blush.
Steve Matteo is a freelance writer.
Steve Matteo. Steve Matteo is a freelance writer., 'Supernatural'
Occurrence at Jones Beach, 07-31-2000, pp B11. |
