Carlos Santana and his band – in various incarnations – have been travelling to Switzerland to play at the now legendary Montreux Festival since 1970. Three years ago, however, the Mexican guitar deity decided to perform a very different kind of concert. Not content to play his customary live set, Santana persuaded a host of big names from the worlds of jazz, rock and pop to join him for a concert promoting world peace. Given the busy schedules of globetrotting musicians such as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, Angelique Kidjo, Steve Winwood, Nile Rodgers and Wayne Shorter, it’s a wonder that the concert ever took place. But such were Santana’s determination and powers of persuasion that these and many more luminaries turned out to play with him.
What comes across more than anything else from watching this 2- DVD set is the sheer enjoyment that the musicians are experiencing on stage, especially when they’re playing a style of music that seems alien to them, such as Herbie Hancock trading cerebral solos with Wayne Shorter on a head-nodding version of Bob Marley’s Exodus. Excellent.
