🎫 🎫 Jan 16 Fri: Fillmore East, New York, NY

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 🎫 Jan 17 Sat: Fillmore East, New York, NY

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

Tour: USA West

🎫 Feb 4 Wed: Family Dog On The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA

Incomplete: Incident At Neshabur (1)(a) - Soul Sacrifice (b) - A Super Jam! (2)(3)(c)

W/Alberto Gianquinto (1), Grateful Dead (2), Jefferson Airplane (3)

Releases:

(a) "Viva Santana! An Intimate Conversation With Carlos Santana" on Oct 18, 1988 on VHS (Col: USA 19V 49007, France 049007)

(a) "Viva Santana! An Intimate Conversation With Carlos Santana" on LD-NTSC (Col/Sony Japan ID6333CB)

(a) "Viva Santana! An Intimate Conversation With Carlos Santana" on Sept 12, 2006 on DVD-R1 (Legacy USA 82876 89534 9)

(a) to (c) "A Night At The Family Dog" in 2007 on DVD-R1 (Eagle Vision USA EV 30122-9), on DVD-R2 (Eagle Vision Europe EVDVD 129)

Note: Broadcast at an unknown date on American TV KQED-PBS.

🎫 Feb 6 Fri: Black Panther Party. Legal Defense Fund Benefit. Community Center Theatre, Berkeley, CA

Incomplete: Treat - Hope You're Feeling Better - Soul Sacrifice - Incident At Neshabur - Savor/Jingo

Note: Broadcast at an unknown date on American radio KPFA.

🎫 Feb 21 Sat: The Bell Telephone Hour. NBC Studios, Burbank, CA

Incomplete: Soul Sacrifice (1) - Batuka (1)

W/Zubin Mehta’s Los Angeles Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra (1)

Note: TV show. Broadcast on March 14, 1970 on American TV NBC.

🎫 Feb 23 Mon: Grateful Dead Benefit. Winterland, San Francisco, CA

Incomplete: Incident At Neshabur - Taboo - Persuasion - Waiting - Batuka/Savor/Jingo

Note: Benefit for the Grateful Dead who has been busted in New Orleans, LA ("…Busted, Down On Bourbon Street..."), and needed some money for legal fees.

🎫 Feb 26 Thu: Selland Arena, Fresno, CA

🎫 Feb 27 Fri: Ventura College, Ventura, CA

🎫 🎫 Feb 28 Sat: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 🎫 March 6 Fri: University Of Nevada, Reno, NV

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 March 7 Sat: Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, San Jose, CA

Tour: USA South/Canada/USA East/Europe

🎫 March 13 Fri: Mayser Center, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA

🎫 March 14 Sat: Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

🎫 🎫 March 15 Sun: Boston Tea Party, Boston, MA

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 March 19 Thu: Municipal Auditorium, Atlanta, GA

🎫 March 21 Sat: Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, FL

🎧 March 26 Thu: Premiere of "Woodstock. The Movie"

Recorded: Woodstock Music & Art Fair. Bethel, NY Aug 16, 1969

Releases:

"Woodstock. Music From The Original Soundtrack And More" in 1970 on 3LP(gf) (Atlantic/Cotillion USA SD 3-500)

"Woodstock. Music From The Original Soundtrack And More" on 2CD (Atlantic USA SD 500-2)

"Woodstock. 3 Days Of Peace & Music. The Director's Cut!" on March 25, 1997 on DVD-R1 (Warner Home Video USA 13549)

"Woodstock. 3 Days Of Peace & Music. 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition" on June 9, 2009 on 3DVD-R1, 3Blu-ray-A (Warner Home Video USA)

"Santana. The Woodstock Experience (Limited Edition)" on June 30, 2009 on 2CD (Sony/Legacy USA)

Note: The releases “Woodstock. 3 Days Of Peace & Music. 40th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition” from June 9, 2009 on 3DVD-R1, 3Blu-ray-A, include an extra track: Evil Ways.

🎫 March 29 Sun: Agrodome, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

🎫 🎫 April 10 Fri: Fillmore East, New York, NY

W/Alberto Gianquinto

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 🎫 April 11 Sat: Fillmore East, New York, NY

1st show. 64 min.

Exact: Se A Cabo - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen/Savor/Jingo - Oye Como Va - Hope You're Feeling Better - Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Persuasion - Soul Sacrifice

W/Alberto Gianquinto

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 🎫 April 12 Sun: Fillmore East, New York, NY

1st show or 2nd show. 71 min.

Exact: Se A Cabo - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen/Savor/Jingo - Oye Como Va - Hope You're Feeling Better - Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Persuasion - Soul Sacrifice - Treat

W/Alberto Gianquinto

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 April 18 Sat: The Sound Of The Seventies. Royal Albert Hall, London, UK

Incomplete: Se A Cabo (1) - Toussaint L'Overture (2) - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen (3) - Gumbo (4) - Soul Sacrifice (5)

W/Alberto Gianquinto

Releases:

(1)(2)(3) "Abraxas. 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition" on March 31, 1998 on CD(24-bit) (Col/Legacy USA CK 65490)

(4)(5) "Legends Of Rock. Live In Concert At The Royal Albert Hall" on April 23, 2001 on DVD-R0 + CD (D2 Vision Ltd. UK DVD1075X)

Note: First show ever played in Europe.

🎫 April 24 Fri: Memorial Hall, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA

🎫 April 26 Sun: The Gansett Tribal Rock Festival. Keaney Gym, University Of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI

---

🔔 April: New York, NY

Note: At a recording session, Carlos Santana meets Jimi Hendrix for the second time, after June 20, 1967.

Quote from Carlos Santana (The Universal Tone 2014): The second time we met was sometime in April of 1970 in New York City. (…) Jimi opened the door for us and looked at me. “Santana, right?” He paid for both cabs, then looked at me. “Man, I like your choice of notes,” he said with a smile. I said the best thing I could think of at that point. “Well, thank you, Man.” (…) Jimi started playing, and for the first eight bars he was right with it. By the twelfth bar, it had nothing to do with the song anymore. (…) Jimi was facing away from the window to the control room. Eddie told one of his guys to check on him, and I swear the guy had to physically pull him away from the guitar and the amplifier. He got Jimi up, and when he turned around---I’m not kidding---Jimi looked like a possessed demon. It almost looked like he was having an epileptic attack---foaming at the mouth, his eyes red like rubies. (p260-261)

Quotes from Carlos Santana (Rock Cellar Magazine, Interview by Ken Sharp March 9, 2016):

Ken Sharp: Finally, you’re a huge Jimi Hendrix fan and you were fortunate enough to have attended a Hendrix recording session for the song, Room Full of Mirrors. What’s the back story behind that?

Well, we arrived at this hotel in New York City on Fifth Avenue and Devon, this lady was waiting for me. She said, “What are you doing?” And said, “Well, we’ve just arrived and I’m gonna take a shower.” She said, “Man, why don’t you come with me?” And I said, “Where are you going?” She said, “Let’s go to the studio, Jimi is recording,” I think it was at the Record Plant or the Hit Factory. So I said to Devon, “Oh, if he’s recording he probably doesn’t want anybody there.” She said, “No, don’t be such a square. When Jimi records it’s like a party.” So I said, (says tentatively) “Okay…” So I get in the car with her and then as we’re traveling on Avenue of the Americas Jimi is in another cab going really fast and he’s with a blonde lady. So Jimi arrived first at the studio and then we arrived. So he comes over and opens the door of the cab and I’m like, Oh my God, it’s Jimi Hendrix opening the door of my cab! First thing he says is, “Santana, right?” And I said, “Yeah.” And he says, “I like your choice of notes.” I’m like, “Oh, thank you.” That’s what he said, “I like your choice of notes that you select.” So we go inside and they’re getting ready to overdub a couple of different takes on the track Room Full of Mirrors. On the way into the studio next to the guitars and Marshall amplifiers, there was a buffet full of stuff. There was hash and cocaine and weed and everything there and he just went through it and I was like, “Dang! If I did a little bit of any of those things I’d be in a coma! “Dang, and he’s gonna play? I was like woah! This is a whole other level of something that I’m not accustomed to.” If I would even think of doing some of that, I wouldn’t be able to even tune my guitar.

Ken Sharp: Did he nail the take?

Well, he nailed it for the first eight bars and he as playing slide guitar. (starts singing Room Full of Mirrors) and then he went out and kept going out and kept going out and he went so out that it didn’t make sense any more with what he playing to the song. And I’m like, “Dang!” I think it was Eddie Kramer who looked at one of the bodyguards or one of the roadies and went, “man, go get him and separate him from the guitar and the amplifier because he’s gone.” So it was like the movie, The Exorcist. They went out there and opened the door and it was like a 2001 movie. They separated him from his guitar and the amplifier and when he turned around his eyes were like cherry red. And he was foaming at the mouth. It was like watching someone have an epileptic attack. And I was frozen. I was like, “Woah!” I went back to my room and felt, as they said back then, that was a very far out experience, I was like, “What the hell was that?” But then I learned you need to have discipline in moderation. I don’t wanna do that to go there. There’s gotta be another way to get there. Man…and I did, I found another way to go there because of Sonny Sharrock and Larry Young and Tony Williams and John McLaughlin.

🎧 May 2 Sat: Pacific Recording, San Mateo, CA

W/Alberto Gianquinto

Note: Recording of "Incident At Neshabur" (from "Abraxas").

Quote from Carlos Santana (The Universal Tone 2014): We wanted Gianquinto to help us again---In fact, “Incident At Neshabur” was the first tune we worked on. We also knew we wanted the right producer from Columbia to work with us. I’ll put it this way: Santana didn’t actually like the sound of Santana until Abraxas. (p235)

🎫 May 15 Fri: Allen Theatre, Cleveland, OH

🎫 🎫 May 16 Sat: Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 May 22 Fri: Waikiki Shell Theatre, Honolulu, Oahu, HI

55 min.

Exact: Se A Cabo - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Savor/Jingo - Oye Como Va - Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Treat - Gumbo - Waiting - Hope You're Feeling Better - Conquistadore Rides Again

🎫 May 23 Sat: Waikiki Shell Theatre, Honolulu, Oahu, HI

🔔 May 30 Sat: Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA

Note: Carlos Santana meets Jimi Hendrix for the last time.

Quote from Carlos Santana (The Universal Tone 2014): The last time I met Jimi was a few weeks later in California, when he played the Berkeley Community Theatre. (…) We caught the concert and we went back to hang with Jimi at his hotel. (p261)

🎧 June 4 Thu: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

Note: Recording of "Black Magic Woman" (from "Abraxas").

🎧 June 5 Fri: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

Note: Recording of "Gypsy Queen" (from "Abraxas").

🎧 June: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

Note: Recording of "Mother's Daughter" (from "Abraxas").

Tour: USA East/Europe

🎫 June 11 Thu: The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA

🎫 June 12 Fri: Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY

🎫 🎫 June 13 Sat: Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY

1st show. 47 min.

Exact: Se A Cabo - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Savor/Jingo - Oye Como Va - Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Treat - Persuasion - Gumbo

2nd show. 62 min.

Exact: Se A Cabo - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Savor/Jingo - Oye Como Va - Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Treat - Persuasion - Gumbo - Incident At Neshabur - Conquistadore Rides Again

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 June 16 Tue: Lyceum Ballroom, London, UK

🎫 🎫 June 20 Sat: Montreux Jazz Festival. Casino De Montreux, Montreux, Switzerland

Incomplete: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Incident At Neshabur - Persuasion - Soul Sacrifice - Gumbo - Conquistadore Rides Again

Note: Two shows played in the same day. The extra free impromptu show is played at the Montreux swimming pool next to the venue of the jazz festivities.

🎫 June 22 Mon: Beat Club. NDR Studios, Bremen, Germany

Exact: Jingo (1) - Treat (2) - Incident At Neshabur

Releases:

(1) "Casey Kasem’s Rock n’ Roll Goldmine. The San Francisco Sound" in 1986 on LD-NTSC (Image Entrtainment USA ID6191VE)

(1) "Casey Kasem’s Rock n’ Roll Goldmine. The San Francisco Sound" in 1987 on VHS-NTSC (Vestron Video USA1117)

(1) "Casey Kasem’s Rock n’ Roll Goldmine. The San Francisco Sound" on April 27, 2004 on DVD-R1 (Standing Room Only Entertainment USA 03109)

(2) "Viva Santana! An Intimate Conversation With Carlos Santana" on Oct 18, 1988 on VHS (Col: USA 19V 49007, France 049007)

(2) "Viva Santana! An Intimate Conversation With Carlos Santana" on LD-NTSC (Col/Sony Japan ID6333CB)

(2) "Viva Santana! An Intimate Conversation With Carlos Santana" on Sept 12, 2006 on DVD-R1 (Legacy USA 82876 89534 9)

Note: TV show. Broadcast at various dates on TV.

🎫 June 23 Tue: Tivoli Konsertsal, Copenhagen, Denmark

🎫 June 26 Fri: Kralingen Pop Festival. Kralingen Forest, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Exact: Se A Cabo - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen (1) - Savor/Jingo (2) - Oye Como Va - Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Persuasion - Soul Sacrifice - Gumbo (3)

Releases:

(1)(2)(3) "Stamping Ground" premiere in U.S. movie theaters on April 28, 1972

(1)(2)(3) "Stamping Ground" in 1987 on VHS-NTSC (Goodtimes Home Video USA 8046)

(1)(2)(3) “Rock Fieber” on Nov 15, 2004 on DVD-R2 (Universum Film GmbH Germany 82876 61795 9)

(1)(2)(3) “Stamping Ground” in 2010 on DVD-R1 (Studio Gabia Brazil DVDS-071)

Note: The “Stamping Ground” DVD release from Brazil is taken from the American VHS-NTSC release with same image ratio of 4:3, but running too slow, and incomplete (89 min.) missing “Esther’s Nose Job” (Soft Machine) and “Giants” (Quintessence), and songs are in a different order than the original film. The “Rock Fieber” DVD release from Germany has a better image and audio, running at correct speed and is complete (97 min.), and faithful to the original song order, but has an image ratio of 16:9 cropping the top and bottom of the original film, and has a German voice over the interviews.

🎫 June 28 Sun: Bath Festival Of Blues & Progressive Music ‘70. Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, UK

Exact: Se A Cabo - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Savor/Jingo - Oye Como Va - Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Persuasion - Soul Sacrifice - Gumbo

---

🎧 July 8 Wed: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

W/Rico Reyes

Note: Recording of "Oye Como Va" (from "Abraxas").

🎧 July 11 Sat: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

W/Rico Reyes

Note: Recording of "El Nicoya" (from "Abraxas").

🎧 July 12 Sun: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

Note: Recording of "Singing Winds, Crying Beasts", "Se A Cabo" (from "Abraxas").

🎧 July 19 Sun: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

Note: Recording of "Samba Pa Ti" (from "Abraxas").

🎧 July 24 Fri: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

Note: Recording of "Hope You're Feeling Better" (from "Abraxas").

Tour: USA West-East

🎫 Aug 4 Tue: The Matrix, San Francisco, CA

Incomplete: Rock Me Baby - Just Ain't Good Enough - Jam - Jam

W/Jack Casady (Hot Tuna), Jorma Kaukonen (Hot Tuna), Quicksilver Messenger Service...

🎫 🎫 Aug 10 Mon: Fillmore East, New York, NY

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 🎫 Aug 11 Tue: Fillmore East, New York, NY

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 🎫 Aug 12 Wed: Fillmore East, New York, NY

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 Aug 13 Thu: The Dick Cavett Show. ABC Studios, New York, NY

Incomplete: Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen

Note: TV show. Broadcast in 1970 on American TV ABC, webcast in 2006 on http://www.santana.com.

🎫 Aug 14 Fri: Civic Center, Baltimore, MD

🎫 🎫 Aug 15 Sat: Stony Brook University, Long Island, NY

Note: Two shows played in the same evening. Following the cancellation of the Jefferson Airplane show, the Santana show is moved from Aug 16 to Aug 15.

🎫 Aug 18 Tue: Tanglewood Music Festival. Tanglewood Music Center, Lenox, MA

Tour: USA West-South

🎫 Sept 9 Wed: San Diego Community College, San Diego, CA

Incomplete: Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Hope You're Feeling Better - Incident At Neshabur - Persuasion - Waiting - Batuka/Savor/Jingo

🎫 Sept 10 Thu: Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA

Incomplete: Batuka - Se A Cabo - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Oye Como Va - Persuasion - Waiting - Mother's Daughter - Treat - Incident At Neshabur - You Just Don't Care - Fried Neckbones And Some Home Fries - Hope You're Feeling Better - Gumbo - Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Soul Sacrifice

🎫 Sept 11 Fri: Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA

🎫 Sept 12 Sat: Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA

🎫 Sept 13 Sun: Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA

🎫 Sept 16 Wed: Mammoth Gardens, Denver, CO

🎫 Sept 17 Thu: Mammoth Gardens, Denver, CO

🎫 Sept 18 Fri: Salt Palace, Salt Lake City, UT

Quote from Carlos Santana (The Universal Tone 2014): A few months after that, Santana was playing in Salt Lake City when we heard that Jimi had died. That night you could hear all the toilets on our floor of the hotel flushing---people dumping all their shit, so angry because we heard he had OD’d. Whether or not it was true, he was the first of our generation to go, and we were sure drugs had something to do with it. That’s how we put it. “Fucking drugs, man.” (p262)

🎫 Sept 19 Sat: Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, AZ

🎫 Sept 20 Sun: Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, CA

🎧 Sept 23 Wed: Release of "Abraxas"

Santana's 2nd album. Original release on LP(gf) (Col: USA 30130, Netherlands 64087, Japan 25AP 814)

Side 1: 1. Singing Winds, Crying Beasts (4:48) - 2. Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen (5:17) - 3. Oye Como Va (4:17) - 4. Incident At Neshabur (4:58)

Side 2: 1. Se A Cabo (2:49) - 2. Mother's Daughter (4:25) - 3. Samba Pa Ti (4:46) - 4. Hope You're Feeling Better (4:10) - 5. El Nicoya (1:29)

Musicians: Carlos Santana, Jose “Chepito” Areas, David Brown, Michael Carabello, Gregg Rolie, Michael Shrieve

W/Alberto Gianquinto S1#4, Rico Reyes S1#3, S2#5

Recorded: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA except S1#4 Pacific Recording, San Mateo, CA. S1#1, S2#1 July 12, 1970, S1#2 June 4, 1970/June 5, 1970, S1#3 July 8, 1970, S1#4 May 2, 1970, S2#2 June 11, 1970, S2#3 July 19, 1970, S2#4 July 24, 1970, S2#5 July 11, 1970

Re-releases:

“Abraxas” on LP(gf/quad/pos) (Col: USA CQ 30130, Japan SOPN 44004)

“Abraxas” in 1981 on LP(gf/half speed) (Col USA HC 40130)

“Abraxas” on July 7, 1987 on CD (Col: USA CK 30130, Austria 32032, Japan SRCS 6316)

“Abraxas. Original Master Recording” on Sept 17, 1991 on CD(gold) (Col/MFSL USA UDCD 552)

“Abraxas” in 1996 on LP(gf/180gram) (ARS Germany)

“Abraxas. Limited Edition Vinyl LP” in Dec 1997 on LP(180gram/hqpls) (Col 64087/Simply Vinyl UK SVLP 0019)

“Abraxas. 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition”on March 31, 1998 on CD(24-bit) (Col/Legacy USA CK 65490)

“Abraxas. Super Audio CD” on March 6, 2001 on SA-CD (Col/Legacy USA)

“Abraxas. Digital Surround” on Sept 11, 2001 on CD(DTS) (DTS Entertainment USA)

“Abraxas. Original Master Recording” on April 1, 2008 on CD(gold) (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab USA UDCD 775)

“Abraxas. Original Master Recording” in 2008 on LP(gf/half speed/180gram) (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab USA MFSL 1-305)

“Abraxas. Original Master Recording. UltraDisc One-Step” on Oct 28, 2016 on 2 12"(gf) (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab USA UD1S 2-001)

“Abraxas” on Aug 18, 2017 on white vinyl LP(gf/180gram/pos) (Col/Legacy Europe 88875194291)

Note: The re-release “Abraxas. 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition” from March 31, 1998 on CD(24-bit) includes three extra tracks from Royal Albert Hall, London, UK April 18, 1970: Se A Cabo (3:47) - Toussaint L'Overture (4:52) - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen (4:57).

🎫 Sept 24 Thu: Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, OK

🎫 Sept 25 Fri: Houston Music Hall, Houston, TX

🎫 Sept 26 Sat: Hemisfair Arena, San Antonio, TX

🎫 Sept 27 Sun: Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, Ft. Worth, TX

Tour: USA East-South-West

🎫 Oct 8 Thu: Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth, PA

🎫 Oct 9 Fri: Renssalear Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY

🎫 🎫 Oct 10 Sat: Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, RI

1st show

Incomplete: Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Waiting - Incident At Neshabur - Persuasion - Savor/Jingo

2nd show

Incomplete: Conquistadore Rides Again - Toussaint L'Overture/Evil Ways - Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen - Oye Como Va

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 Oct 11 Sun: Roberts Center, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA

🎫 🎫 Oct 14 Wed: Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY

Note: Two shows played in the same evening.

🎫 Oct 17 Sat: Soccer Field, University Of Miami, Coral Gables, FL

🎫 Oct 21 Wed: The Matrix, San Francisco, CA

W/Quicksilver Messenger Service

---

🔔 Nov 19 Thu: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

Musicians: Santana Band (except David Brown) with guests Neal Schon, Eric Clapton (Derek And The Dominos), John Cipollina (Quicksilver Messenger Service), Mark Ryan (Quicksilver Messenger Service)

Note: Also known at “Village Recorder Sessions” or “Apartment Jams”, this session is part of a series of studio rehearsals for the 3rd official album “Santana III" released in Sept 1971. Eric Clapton and his band Derek And The Dominos play at the Community Theatre, Berkeley, CA on Nov 18 and 19. After his first show, he joins the Santana rehearsals during the early hours of Nov 19. After the session, Neal Schon is officially asked by Carlos Santana to join the Santana Band. On the same day, he is also invited by Clapton to join him at his second show in Berkeley. Before playing, Clapton tells him he would be happy to see him join his band as well, but Schon declines the offer to stay with Santana. During the show, Clapton says: “I’d like to bring on a guy named Neal to play guitar for a little while… are you ready? I think he’ll come on after this number. It’s called “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?”. After that song there is some tuning as Clapton introduces Schon before they play “Stormy Monday”. After “Stormy Monday” there are shouts from the audience for Neal’s guitar to be turned up in volume.

Quote from John Cipollina (Mike Somavilla Interview 1989): What was the most interesting session you've done, and why?: That's a loaded question; I don't really know. I guess there was one session that was really interesting that comes up to my mind that I did, I think in 1971 (close! 1970). It was interesting, because it was unplanned. All of a sudden it just kinda happened. It was about 4 o'clock in the morning at Wally Heider's studio... (there were) four studios in one building, and three of them were going on that particular night, one of them was with Santana. Well, I was hanging out in the halls and Carlos came up to me and says, “Hey, man, you got a geetar?” (fakes Mexican accent). And I said, Sure! So, we went in and jammed, and it was a very loose session, and we did three basics starting about 4:15 or 4:30 in the morning with 10 people on it. So it was four drummers, four guitarists, a bass and an organ. The lineup was Santana's four drummers; Michael Shrieve on traps, Chepito on timbales, Greg Errico on congas (in fact it was Coke Escovedo), and then some percussion (it was Michael Carabello). Gregg Rolie was on organ, Mark Ryan was playing bass and the guitar players were myself, Carlos Santana and this young kid (which was the first time I met him) Neal Schon. I think he was 15 (close again! 16) at the time. I met him in the lobby. He was calling home to his mother telling her to write him an excuse to get out of school the next day, and I thought, Hmmm, who is this kid? And the fourth guitarist was Eric Clapton, who showed up. That was just kind of a fun session, mostly because it was unplanned. It just kind of came about.

Quote from Neal Schon (1995): I was in the studio with the Santana band, and we were just jamming, you know, getting high and jamming, and staying up until the wee hours of the morning, and just trying to create some music, and Eric Clapton walked in. You know, Eric Clapton at that time, was like, and before that time, had been like a god to me, a guitar hero, and he walked in and I didn't even say 'hello', I was like so scared he was in the room... and we played all night, and without even saying goodbye to or anything to him he walked out, and I was just still like... in shock. So I went home, went to sleep at some ungodly hour, got up at 3 or 4, went back to Wally Heider's in San Francisco where we were rehearsing, and I had a message there waiting at the front desk, and it was from Clapton, and he was playing at the (Berkeley) Community Theatre there that night, and he invited me to play with him.

Quote from Neal Schon (Joe Bonamassa Interview 2020): Eric Clapton asked you to join Derek and the Dominos, why did you turn him down?: It was really crazy. I didn’t really recall what my ex-manager (Herbie Herbert) recalls, and I saw a program on Reelz the other night, there was a documentary on us that he was in, and he was telling the story about Clapton coming in while I was jamming with Santana. We were coming up with material for the record that I was about to be on. He didn’t know at that time that I was about to be in the band, but they would always invite me to the studio to hang out. And so, we’re in there, jamming in the weird hours of the morning, and here walks Eric. I was like the shy little kid, and I was shocked because he was a mentor to me, a major mentor to learn how to play by listening to all of his records. He sat down and we played a couple of hours. Then he got up and said, “I got to get out of here, I got a show tomorrow at Berkeley”. I was just astounded and couldn’t believe what was going down. Even though I’ve never even talked to him. Then I went into the studio the next day. There was a note from him that he wanted me to come by Berkeley and jam with him in Derek & the Dominos. And so I got a ride over there by somebody that was very nice, just gave me a ride. I didn’t have a car or a driver’s license – and I walked in, and Herbie Herbert was already over there. His story sounds – he didn’t know I was coming. I had gotten asked by Santana that day to join the band that day that he had asked me to go in. Right before I was in to meet him. Eric said, “Well, I’m really glad you came. I really want to jam, and I would love for you to be in the band”. And I was like, Well, I’d love to. But I just got asked to be in Santana. And then he (Herbie) claims that he took me outside and had his hand around my throat and said, “You little motherfucker”, and that I said, “Go ahead, call Rowley up”, and he goes that sure enough, they did. But it was funny. He goes, “What would you like to play?” And I said, “Well, I’d like to play the whole night”. And so he got a laugh out of that, and he says, “Tell you what, let me talk to the band for a second. I’ll come back to you”. And I moved out of the room and went to talk to Herbie. He wanted to kill me for saying that Santana asked me. I came back in, and he says, “I’ll tell you what, we’re gonna play 7-8 songs, and I’m gonna introduce you as a good friend who’s gonna come on stage and play the rest of the show with us.”. What I can’t believe is that nobody took a picture of that night. There was a really crappy recording that someone found, even barely audible. I was like, “Just one picture, man”, and it just does not exist.

♥ Nov 19 Thu: Santana #6

(left to right) Neal Schon (g), Michael Shrieve (ds), David Brown (b), Carlos Santana (g/perc/vo), Gregg Rolie (kbd/vo), Jose “Chepito” Areas (perc), Michael Carabello (perc)

A second guitarist joins the band, Neal Schon.

Quote from Carlos Santana (The Universal Tone 2014): By the end of 1970, Neal Schon had been hanging around for a while, jamming with us. (…) I liked Neal’s dexterity, and he brought a lot of fire for someone so young, yet in a humble way. (…) It was my decision to ask him to join us, after I spoke with the rest of the band. Neal said yes, and by December he was part of Santana. (…) I asked Neal to join not because I was thinking about who played which parts or that it would free me up---it was much more about adding more flames to the band, the sound and energy we had together. The fire that Neal brought was a white, white heat. (p264-265)

🎧 Dec 14 Mon: Wally Heider Recording Studios, San Francisco, CA

Note: Recording (1st session) of "Pretty As You Feel" (from Jefferson’s Airplane’s "Bark"). 2nd session on Jan 16, 1971.

Unknown Dates

🎫 Late 1970: The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. West Coast Studios, Burbank, CA

Note: TV show. Broadcast at an unknown date on American TV NBC.

★ ?: Columbia Awards

Note: Columbia Best Rock Album Award: "Abraxas" (Santana's 2nd album).

★ ?: Playboy Reader's Music Poll Awards

Note: Record Of The Year: "Abraxas" (Santana's 2nd album).

From San Francisco,

Please Welcome... SANTANA!

Bill Graham

© 1999 Santanamigos