During Santana’s return to House of Blues at Mandalay Bay next week, shout “Play some ‘Coherence!’” at the drummer.
She won’t mind.
“I would be into that,” Cindy Blackman Santana says with a laugh during a chat at Santana’s Las Vegas studio headquarters. “We’ll see how Carlos takes it.”
Put it to the test when the show returns Wednesday for eight dates through Sept. 27.
“Coherence” is the latest solo album from the fiery drummer who has delivered the thunderclaps for Santana’s band for the past decade. Though closely aligned with her legendary husband, Blackman Santana is a force outside Santana.
Power and “MNF”
Along with her spirited new release, Blackman Santana is a member of the recently formed rock trio Power of 3, which has also been releasing new material.
Blackman Santana is also an NFL star, of sorts, returning to ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” opening segment for the fourth consecutive season. She joins Chris Stapleton and Ludacris in the latest cover of Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight.”
Blackman Santana is an indispensable musician in Santana’s band. But she is steadfast in maintaining her own identity. “Coherence” is the latest musical example, a symbiosis of Blackman’s rock-star image and traditional jazz roots.
“This music has always been a part of my life, so that doesn’t need to change, and it won’t change. That’s who I am,” Blackman Santana says. “I need to do that. I need to express myself in that way. I need to play the music that I’m writing, that I’m hearing. I need to express that I’m a jazz musician.”
“Coherence” is 17 songs strong but feels like an unbroken jam. This is a listening experience that takes you on an asymmetrical voyage. Blackman Santana narrates between breaks in the music, the spoken-word moments leading into “Coherence Tapestry” and “Coherence Embrace.” Those songs bracket “Coherence,” featuring Carlos on guitar, for a three-song suite early in the album.
Feel the textures
“Coherence is the divine convergence of everything in music — textures, colors, chords, rhythms, harmonies and melodies —seen from a broader perspective,” Blackman Santana says, echoing one of her husband’s onstage orations. “It also describes people coming together. The idea can expand from cities and states to nations, the planet and even the cosmos. That’s what I hope to see.”
“Coherence” is Blackman Santana’s 12th album as bandleader, following the insistently titled “Give the Drummer Some” six years ago. Saxophonist Emilio Modeste, guitarist Aurélien Budynek, keyboardist Zaccai Curtis, and bassist Felix Pastorius are the album’s core band.
The release is almost entirely instrumental, but it sings in the players’ respective musicianship. The opening number, “Illumination,” lightens the mood. “Blue Whale” features a powerful solo from Modeste and Curtis’s throwback licks on the Hammond B3.
You can detect Carlos’ supportive, signature guitar mastery throughout the release, the very Carlos-flavored tracks “The Message is Love” (with Snoop’s succinct intro, “Get it, Cindy”), “Psychedelic Movie House,” “Guitar Love” (with Santana and John McLaughlin featured), “Capri” and “Sanctuary.”
Who gets the song?
The coherence between Carlos and Cindy is evident in the history of the title song. Cindy had been listening to the track when Santana was recording “Sentient,” his latest album. Cindy wanted to be sure Carlos was OK with his guitar sound on “Coherence” and played the track for him to review. He said, “I love it. I want that on my record.”
“I said, “It’s gonna be on my record,’ and he said, ‘Well, it can be on both, can’t it?’” Blackman Santana says. “So it’s the same song, but I did a different mix.”
Blackman Santana’s coinciding foray, supergroup The Power of 3, is a triumvirate of singer-guitarist Orianthi and bassist Rhonda Smith. Raiders owner Mark Davis, a classic-rock devotee, backs the project.
The self-titled album was recorded in glorious analog, produced by the legendary Eddie Kramer, famous for his iconic work with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and David Bowie, among many other rock greats.
“The Power of 3” is due for Dec. 11 release. Its debut double-single (yes, there is such a thing) is streaming now, but the album is recorded strictly for vinyl.
“We want to represent real music, and also the value of music, and how powerful it is on vinyl,” Orianthi says. “Everything is streamed, and I love the instant gratification of checking out someone’s record on Spotify or Apple. But there’s nothing like getting an old vinyl, putting on your record player, and enjoying it the way it should be enjoyed.”
The musicians have worked with Michael Jackson (Orianthi), Prince (Smith) and Lenny Kravitz (Blackman Santana).
Davis conceived of the idea and immediately recruited Orianthi and Blackman Santana, who then found a kindred spirit in Smith.
“We have a real chemistry,” Blackman Santana says. “They are just great to play with.”
House of Santana
All of this activity is with Santana’s return to Las Vegas, front and center. The band is playing eight dates Wednesday through Sept. 27, back for eight more in November. Santana has been touring this summer with the Doobie Brothers, every show a happening (we caught the majestic twin bill at the Hollywood Bowl).
Santana will have played 50 dates this year by the end of the September run. There is talk of a multiyear extension at House of Blues, where the band has played more than 300 shows since opening in May 2012.
The two live in Las Vegas, the couple’s home base for their entire lives together.
“Carlos moved here first, about a year before we were married, in 2010,” Blackman Santana says. “We live here because of the residency, and because we love it. When we’re done working, we get to go home. There is something to be said for that.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.