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Abraxas Pool
by Pegleg
20 years ago, a Mexican blues lover, a fan of British
Invasion pop, and a salsa-loving conga player got together
in San Francisco's Mission District to play music. A certain
magic was felt, and thus was born the Santana Blues Band.
Eventually, as Santana, they released 3 incredible albums
(Santana, Abraxas, and Santana 3), and then, not unusually, went
their separate ways. Carlos Santana kept his name and his
band, and went on to obvious stardom, one of the true guitar
heroes. Greg Rollie took Neal Schon off to form Journey, which,
no matter your opinion of them, was arguably one of the most
successful musical acts of the eighties, with lots of flash,
and some serious musicianship. All the members of that original
Santana band went off to some form of success or other, never
to be heard together again…
…until 1994, when Neal Schon asked Michael Carabello to
put some congas on his solo album. The idea of putting the
original band back together was discussed, and thus I have a
copy of "Abraxas Pool" in my hands. And, to borrow
from the clichés of music reviewers everywhere, if you
like the Santana sound, especially from the first 3 albums,
then you will find something here to suit your fancy. The driving
Latin rhythms, soaring guitar work, pumping organ chords and
powerful vocals… You get it all. Some of it sounds a
little dated, perhaps, in this day of grunge and "alternative
rock", but it is undeniably good music.
In addition to Schon on guitar, Rollie on keyboards and vocals,
and Carabello on congas, Chepita Areas is back on timbales, Michael
Shrieve on drums, and Alphonso Johnson was recruited to hold down
the bottom end. This is not exactly the original band, but all 5
members were significant parts of the Santana "sound" over the
years.
Neal Schon's guitar is almost as recognizable as that of
Carlos Santana's, and he is just as talented. The rhythm section of the two
Michael's (Shrieve and Carabello), along with Chepito Areas on
timbales, drives the music along in the same style as on the
original albums. And of course, Greg Rollie's voice is instantly
recognizable. It has mellowed a bit in the last 20 years, but his
organ playing is as powerful as ever. To round out the crew,
Alphonso Johnson was recruited to play bass. Johnson is one of
the great bass players and composers today, having worked with
Phil Collins, Quincy Jones, John McLaughlin, Weather Report, and
many others, including Carlos Santana.
Many of these tunes could be on a Santana album. (OK, so they
covered "Jingo", which WAS on a Santana album) The
rhythms, vocals, and even the timing of songs ("hey Neal -
play the solo HERE") all sound like their previous group
work.
To be more specific - "Baila Mi Cha-Cha" "Boom
Ba Ya Ya", "Guajirona" and "Ya Llego"
could all have been cut directly from a Santana album. You can
hear echoes of "Baila Mi Hermana" and "Evil Ways"
here. Some of it may be too derivative, but it still works. "Ya
Llego" is a real percussion fest, with Carabello and Areas
blasting back and forth over the top of a quiet bass line. The
chanting Spanish lyrics merely separate the percussion jams. My
favorite of these is "Baila Mi Cha-Cha" - it's hard NOT
to dance to this tune! The congas and timbales drive the music
along so well that it was almost jarring to hear, instead of the
clear screaming of Carlos' guitar, the more processed sound of
Neal Schon's solo. Rollie's piano solo is a great part of this
song.
"Szabo" is a beautiful instrumental in tribute to
Gabor Szabo, the jazz master who wrote "Gypsy Queen", a
track on Santana album "Abraxas" album. You can hear
echoes of Carlos in the solo (listen to "Europa" from
the Amigos album), but it is Neal's piece, and one of the best
tunes on the album.
"Waiting For You" and "Don't Give Up"
sound a little too much like Journey for my taste. Pitch the
vocal up to Steve Perry's range, and this IS Journey, with
timbales.
All in all, this is a solid album, and a nice step back into
my musical past. It is hard to listen to it without thinking
where Carlos' guitar should be coming in - nothing against Neal
Schon, who is an incredible guitarist, but I have come to
identify Carlos' tone with congas and timbales. They just go
together in my musical consciousness. The only question I have
for this group is whether or not they will be able to shake that
image, and carve one out for themselves. They are too good to be
forever known as Carlos' backup band.
| Release: | Abraxas Pool |
| Personnel: | Neal Schon, guitars |
| Greg Rollie, organ, piano, vocals |
| Michael Carabello, congas |
| Michael Shrieve, drums |
| Chepito Areas, timbales |
| Alphonso Johnson, bass |
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