February 28th, Interview with Salvador Santana

What have you been working on recently?

I recently decided to take a break from the road and tour life and dedicate my time strictly to writing original music and composition for film and television. Over the holiday season I got an opportunity to compose a piece that was featured in an E-card for Women of Vision with the non-profit, World Vision. That was a lot of fun and quite a challenge for me because I had to learn how to sync my music to the card’s animation. However, I did get some help from a good friend and band member Jared Meeker. (Thanks Jared!) I’ve also been collaborating with several different artists to write new music.  One project in particular that I’m really excited about is with awesome musician/producer Barrett Yeretsian (who produced Christina Perry’s hit song “Jar of Hearts”). Barrett and I met through a mutual friend and have been working an amazing song titled “Mi Tesoro” which translates: my treasure. The song and title were inspired by mi Abuela (my grandma, aka dad’s mom) Josefina who called me “Mi Tesoro”. Andy Vargas from the Santana Band graced us with his vocals, and is featured on the track.

What has been your favorite part of the work you have been doing?

My favorite part about the recent work that I’ve been involved in has been the overall process and watching this new chapter in my career unfold.  In my collaborations with different artists, I’ve been learning so much about myself and how I love to be in the studio and in creative atmosphere. Also, I’m able to gain much more knowledge and experience from all the artists that I’m working with. It has been an even exchange. I have enjoyed watching and listening to the songs as they develop and I’m really looking forward to completing the songs and releasing them to the world.

Do you miss touring or are you enjoying your time at home working on these different projects?

Every once in a while I find myself thinking about going back on the road. But taking some time away from that part of my life has also presented many alternative ways for me to be proactive with my creative passion towards music. Whether I’m on tour or in the studio, I am very grateful for the opportunities that allow me to offer my services. As long as it involves music, I am always on board!

I know that recently you lost good friend and talented musician Jose “Crunchy” Espinosa. Can you share a little of how Crunchy impacted your life?

I first met Jose “Crunchy” Espinosa in the summer of 1999 during the supernatural tour. He was in a band called Ozomatli and they were opening up for my father at the time.
I was in high school then and I was really into Ozo and their self titled debut record. We didn’t hang much after that tour, even though we attended the same college, CALIFORNIA Institute of the arts or CalArts. However we were at school at different times and we just missed each other. It wasn’t until the middle of 2006 when I was touring heavily with my band; I decided to hold auditions for horn players. Crunchy flew up from LA to SF, played the audition and the rest was history. From there we played on many tours together, traveling all over the country and even in Europe. We also made my first full-length album together in downtown LA at producer Jason Roberts’ studio. I will never forget those times late at night listening to music and laughing and with him. While sharing quality time with Jose both on and off the stage, he taught me how to interpret music with passion and conviction. He also taught me how to live life with a smile on my face and to never forget to have a good laugh at least once everyday. I have so many wonderful stories and experiences that have to do with Crunchy, but there is one thing I’ll always remember about him. He told me that he always had believed in my music and me and I am forever grateful to him and his family. They have made such a positive impact in my life.

You participated in a benefit for Crunchy as well as performed for George Lopez where the proceeds were donated to his family. Can you tell me a little about the events?

The first event was held at CalArts on Sunday Dec 5th. My current guitar player in the band and dear friend to Jose and his family, Jared Meeker, coordinated it. On that day family and friends all gathered together with one common goal in mind, to help celebrate Jose’s light through art and music and to give support towards his family. I asked Jared if there was anything I could do to help, and he simply responded, “Let’s jam”. No one foresaw Crunchy being able to make it to the performance, however he surprised us. With all of his strength he graced us with his presence and enjoyed the day that was dedicated to him.  I’ll never forget the look on his face. He told me he was so overwhelmed by just the thought alone, and how people had come from all over to show support and love. I told him that this was all we wanted for him, and we got that and so much more. 

The 2nd event happened out of thin air. I was attending a family event and just so happened to bump into no other than Mr. George Lopez. We started talking about what both him and I were currently working on. Because he knew Jose from when we performed on Lopez Tonight this past June, I wanted to inform George about Jose’s health. George immediately wanted to help and asked me if my band would be available to open up for his stand up performance at the Nokia Theatre in LA. He said he would give $10k to me to give to Jose and his family for doing the performance. I almost cried. I was so honored and moved by his generosity. A week later we did the performance. It was a success, and George thanked me afterwards. I told him that I should be the one thanking him, and I did.

Performed a 45 min Set at the Dodgers Stadium on May 23rd 11:15! Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed some great music and baseball!

Keyboard City is NOW available digitally at iTunes, Amazon and Salvador’s online store.

Check your local record stores too!

You can also stream the whole album this week only at AOL/Spinner Listening Party.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSLAEdg_Mj8[/youtube]

“Music has always been there in my life,” said Santana, 26, sitting behind a vintage Fender Rhodes keyboard at a downtown studio. “At the same time, both my Mom and Dad have always encouraged me to be myself.”

That message is reflected in the soulful sounds of his upcoming release, “Keyboard City,” which glides from the early hip-hop vibe of “We Got Somethin’ ” to the warm down-tempo grooves of the album’s title song and the brooding funk of “Don’t Do It.” Not coincidentally, many tracks reflect some of the same organic energy of his Grammy-winning father’s best-known work of the ’60s and ’70s.

“The music coming out [then] was beautiful because it was free and it was expressive, and it was very close to reality,” Santana said. “I’m doing my best to do that with my music.”

The new album, set for release on Feb. 2 from Various Music, is a collaboration with another “mentor,” the keyboardist Money Mark (a.k.a. Mark Ramos-Nishita). Sessions for “Keyboard City” began at Mark’s crowded studio in Atwater Village, which inspired the collection’s title.

“When you walk in his studio, there’s racks and racks of nothing but old-school analog synth keyboards and modulators and devices that I had no idea existed,” said Santana. “He’s almost like a mad scientist. We hit it off from day one.”

Song ideas flowed between them, beginning with a simple keyboard riff on “This Day (Belongs to You),” or with Mark putting an obscure synthesizer in front of Santana, who also sings and plays percussion on several tracks.

Making music is a family tradition that reaches beyond Santana’s famous father and to both his grandfathers, one a mariachi violinist from Mexico, the other a traditional blues guitarist. He also couldn’t avoid the influence of growing up in a house where records by the likes of Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley were often heard.

“I just took all that, and when I had the right moment . . . made it my own,” he said. “Everyone craves music that goes straight to the heart. I think that kind of music resonates with most people.”

In 1987, Carlos Santana released a solo album called “Blues for Salvador,” which he named for his son (as he has songs for his two daughters). Salvador Santana was only a small child at the time, but he’s come to understand the influence his father has had as a musician, which he acknowledges as “the elephant in the room” of his own career.

They have frequently appeared onstage together and have talked of one day collaborating on an album.

“That’s more than a possibility — a whole record would be great,” the keyboardist said. “Everyone says that I have big shoes to fill. Everyone says that. But my father wears a size 9 shoe. And I wear a size 15.”

via LA Times

calendar@latimes.com

Music is a burst of choices. Not only what note to play when and with what instrument, but whether to play a note at all. Salvador Santana, the 26-year-old keyboardist, vocalist, composer, and songwriter with strong Bay Area roots, knows what it means to navigate the infinite options of music. His 2008 project with the Salvador Santana Band–simply called SSB–pursued the scope of his ability. But for Santana, it wasn’t enough. He has no choice but to push himself further. Collaboration has always been the centerpiece of his creations, and this passion manifested his solo debut “Keyboard City” around the inspirations of a few legends: Bay Area MC/producer Del the Funky Homosapien who helped hone in Santana’s writing skills, Beastie Boy studio wizard Money Mark, and GZA of the Wu-Tang Clan. The legendary founder of the Wu-Tang Clan rallied support around the album by featuring himself on remix of the title track “Keyboard City” earlier this fall. The long anticipated debut hits the streets in February of 2010 followed by extensive touring with his keyboard-laden band featuring a three-person keyboard assault with Santana at the head.

Money Mark inspired Santana in a beautiful way during the creation process. “With all the people I’ve ever collaborated with or just working by myself, I have never produced so many ideas into songs as I have during these Money Mark sessions. That guy is just a machine,” said Santana.

Money Mark opened up a new way of recording that was previously unknown to Santana. “He has mentored me by showing me that it’s cool to be all over the pace. It’s cool to sit there and work on a song, then out of nowhere, interrupt that flow and work on another idea. To just go with it.”, Santana elaborates. Santana is pushed by a need to step out of his comfort zone in a quest for new ideas. Easy going and humble, Santana exudes the Bay Area vibe. He began playing the drums at age three–sitting on his father’s lap, controlling the snare and tom, as his father worked the hi-hat and kick drum–but his true love was discovered when he began taking piano lessons when he was six. Later, he studied at San Francisco’s heralded School of the Arts before attending Cal Arts in Valencia, CA. His education, passion and lineage has turned Santana into a monster on the keys, leading him to say that he’s “a musician first, a vocalist second and a performer second-and-a-half.”

Music truly thrives in his veins. His maternal grandfather was blues pioneer Saunders King and his paternal grandfather was the internationally celebrated violinist and mariachi bandleader Jose Santana. And, of course, his father is 10X Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana…who’s also a frequent collaborator (Salvador co-wrote “El Farol” from 1999′s smash album Supernatural). But with his upcoming solo project, Salvador Santana will truly become a brand of his own.

“With the Salvador Santana Band record I was very passive and insecure, only because I wasn’t listening to my gut, allowing my second opinions to get to me. Knowing what I know now, I could have played that part better. I don’t ever want to have that feeling ever again.”

In addition to his musical desires, Santana has worldly efforts on his mind. After a trip to South Africa and inspiring work with Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA), something triggered inside of Santana to make sure his music wasn’t only about personal glory. Once the record is released and he begins touring the project, Salvador will be posting various non-profit organizations on his website that will receive a percentage of the profits. “I want to use music in a positive way, and give back to people in need. There can never be enough people who do that.” And there can never be enough musicians pushing their art to the brink.