It seems appropriate at this festive time of the year to perhaps remember the true meaning of Christmas, apart from commercialism, spending, presents, plus eating and drinking. And to also relate it to a Latin rock theme for this web-blog.

In 2000 a Latin rock flavoured CD slipped out largely unnoticed under the auspices of Dr Bernie Gonzalez, who was the long time manager of veteran grupo Malo and is the chief instigator of the Alex Autism Awareness/Voices Of Latin Rock shows. (These are coming up to their 9^th show in January 2013).

 The original pressing was for 2000 copies which has since sold thru, but the good news is Dr Gonzalez has spoken of an upcoming 2013 re-release. So anyone interested will be able to track this worthy CD down next year and add it to his or her Latin rock collection.

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Bernie Gonzalez remembers, “At that time Tony Menjivar approached me to listen to some new music they had going on. I had left both the Malo music scene and the music business thing at that time. It was at a time when Tony had just become involved in this Christian ministry and I became the executive producer. At the time I had just gotten married and my daughter Samantha was just one year old. I didn’t want people to know I was doing the Executive producer role.So that’s why my daughter’s name is on the credits as Executive Producer. We thought we’d honour her birthday like that. I also played guitar on one of the cuts. That was Tony throwing me a biscuit to get me more involved (laughs). It is funny because Tony did his ministry at a show the day after a recent Voices Of Latin Rock show in Denver and he has grown so much in his ministry and in his music since back then. I was so impressed that we are going to re-release the Bueno CD next year (2013) and for me the music really stands up. It sounds really fresh, not at all like it’s ten years old. The difference in Tony is day and night after ten years of him being a minister. He is so much more credible and has so much more conviction. Now this is a good time to release the music again.”

Gonzalez also opined, “We were gonna’ work with a pastor/minister called Mario Murillo, he had taken the guys back East. We were going to work with this guy and he was promising big things but it did not happen? The Bueno project was well received at first but it kind of died out. They combined the message very well, with the Latin rock thing. The musicians were all great, they were no slouches.”

 The CD in question was simply called BUENO, a play on the word Malo, with Malo meaning “bad” and Bueno meaning “good”. The album is a little known but beautifully recorded classic. It is Latin Rock with a difference though. Many of the members within the sessions were members of the Malo group. The project was helmed and dreamed up by Gabriel Manzo (Malo guitarist) with musical compadre Tony Menjivar, (who, at that time was Malo’s long time conga drummer and musical director). At that time both Manzo and Menjivar had tried to bring in “newer” sounds to the Malo song catalogue. The songs Techno Rumba and Ritmo Tropical support their attempt at a more fresh sound for the band.With Arcelio Garcia (Mr Malo himself as the lead vocalist) since the band’s inception in 1971 in San Francisco in the head slot, these three forged a tough Malo band sound throughout the eighties, nineties and into the new millennium. During many personnel changes in back up singers, bassists and horn players, these three musicians stayed as a constant.

Bueno however was a very different musical enterprise to Malo. The main difference was its emphasis on the teachings and spiritual redemption of Jesus Christ. The album is soaked with a reverential atmosphere but this ambience does not in any detract from the glorious material and musicality presented herein. The band made good use of drummers Gregg Errico (from Sly’s original band and who also played in a side project that Manzo and Menjivar had going on called Many Faces). Bobby Gaviola, who was Sapo’s original cooking drummer and recorded for their debut album in 1974, ably handled the other drum duties. The added presence of Leo Rosales on timbales, alongside later Malo timbalero Gibby Ross, ensured a spicy topping to the illustrious drum kit playing.

Gabriel Manzo is a stunning Latin rock player and has not received his just deserts in the pantheon of Latin rock players. Alongside Carlos, Jorge Santana, Neal Schon, Oscar Estrella, Abel Zarate and more, Gabe has ploughed a consistent path with a sensitive but dynamic approach to this style of guitar picking. I remember a gig in 1999, held in a club in Ventura California, just outside Los Angeles. I attended this gig with the Malo band and one of the highlights was an extended guitar solo by Manzo. This was on an earlier Sapo tune, funnily enough called Sapo’s Montuno. Here, Gabe treated the assembled audience to a dazzling display of lightning fast flurries, melodic and lyrical runs, as well as soulful and bluesy licks that had the crowd roaring their approval. This type of Latino rock playing by Gabe and on this particular track is available on an independent release called Malo: Rocks The Rockies, if you are able to search it out. Anyone hearing this will grasp the sense of dynamism and use of space and motion to drive the solo onwards, steadily building it to a momentous climax. The aforementioned two titles Ritmo Tropical and Techno Rumba are also to be found on the Latin Legends Live (Thump Records) and En Vivo Live / Malo (EMI Latin) CD releases.

A funny aspect to the gig was that Gabe and I were somehow late and missed the band bus on to the venue. We managed to hitch a mad ride in the back of an open top truck. We were hanging on for dear life as we drove to the nightspot where the show was to begin, with Tierra as the support band.Manzo’s cohort in Malo, Tony Menjivar was yet another Mission District conga drummer prodigy, one of the many percussionists who had their musical chops honed and together at a very young age. Other players like Gilberto Ross, Roberto Quintana, Adrian Areas, Karl Perazzo and many more spring to mind. Tony had played originally and at the age of fourteen with Chepito’s All-Stars band around the Bay Area. He had also gigged with Pablo Tellez and a version of Malo that existed called Uno Malo during the time that Arcelio Garcia had relocated to New York City. It was appropriate that he would sit in the conga drum seat for years with Malo, as his wildly explosive conguero style was both visually thrilling to behold, as much as it was musically developed and exciting to listen to.

The recording Bueno was put together with its central concept as a form of musical ministry to Believers and non-believers alike. The band did various shows in California at churches and rallies across the Bay Area and the wider California region to promote the message of the recording. The recording holds a special significance for myself as even before listening to it, I had listened to both Gabe and Tony’s testimonies of their coming to faith in Jesus Christ. This happened one great night as we were up on the 24^th floor of the swanky looking Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco and we all shared our different stories at a gig with Congas Y Guitarras that the guys were playing.

It was after the above-mentioned 1999 Malo gig in Ventura that I had a very significant spiritual awakening. It was later that night after the gig and back in my hotel room. In the room’s quiet, I thumbed through a Gideon’s Bible (that are usually left in a drawer or somewhere in hotel rooms and are always free and given out all over the world). An event both gently enlightening and life changing again was about to occur. I suddenly read a piece of the New Testament and I did not know it then, but the Holy Spirit “quickened” this relevant (I wish I could remember the actual part of the Gospel that it was?) piece of Scripture and it really “sprang out” at me, thus giving me a very intense and illuminating feeling that maybe, just maybe, this Gospel of Jesus Christ was not all just a load of garbage, as I had vehemently thought. I had grown up in an Irish Roman Catholic environment but had totally rejected the religion at around fifteen years old. I had originally a good feeling about Jesus as a child but the sheer religiosity and hellfire and damnation approach of the Catholic Church turned me off big time. At the age of fifteen, I threw out the baby (Jesus) with the bathwater and turned my back on God and salvation.

Several years on from rejecting the faith, I had prayed to Jesus on the 2^nd October 1985 in desperation and had been totally and miraculously delivered from a debilitating drug and alcohol habit. Over a year later I was able to quit smoking cigarettes also. But it took me a good thirteen years in 12 Step recovery to finally realise what had happened to me and also what the effects of that fraught prayer in 1985 had been. Whilst contemplating writing what was to become the Voices Of Latin Rock book, these small but significant events happened in a sequence. Stitching my life into a more discernible series of Christ-based spiritual events, that has made a lot more sense in hindsight.

Bueno was released a year later in 2000 and co-incided with my own early and developing belief in the supernatural power and grace of Jesus Christ. There are about three totally standout tracks on the CD for me and I will attempt to describe these in words. One remark made about the CD at the time by a friend was that people should not do “secular” based songs as Christian songs but I remember disagreeing entirely. I did not believe it mattered how one praised or glorified Christ, as long as the motives were from a pure place and a prayerful heart. The song they had a problem with was “Jesu Christo Mi Lindo” which was set to the tune and around the lyrics of Malo’s one and only Top 20 Billboard hit, Suavecito. I think that they felt there was a deliberate attempt here at “cashing in” or something but I did not see that at all. I think it was a clever idea to use a very well known Latino anthem to represent different lyrics and praise for Christ with the well-known melody.

The CD opens with a musical declaration of Psalm 150 which features stirring and strident guitar solo playing by Manzo over a bed of soothing organ courtesy of veterano Hammond and keys player Hermann Eberitzsch. Overlaid is an intoned version of the Psalm in both the Spanish language by Rosa Martinez and followed by a version in English by Amelia Cacciari.

Praise the Lord

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his acts of power: praise him for his surpassing greatness.

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet; praise him with the harp and lyre,

Praise him with timbrel and dancing, 
praise him with the

     P  Praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.

          Track 2 follows with a swinging Latin riff to herald the opening cut King Of Kings, a rousing and grooving rhythm with which to open the album. It features a loping Latin ritmo with twin harmony guitars by Gabriel. Following a twinkling piano solo by Rick Treat with Herman’s Hammond B3 following the action all the way thru. This gives way to a rousing guitar solo by Manzo in which he takes his time to build the solo carefully and gets to some clean, crisp, fervent Latino styled figures on the fret board. Over the refrain “Praise The Lord “, Menjivar gets down to serious conga soloing and the song ends with a musical coda over which Reverend Ed Stuart intones that “the justshall live by faith”, over a rumba guaguanco rhythm. The already mentioned Jesu Christo Mi Lindo follows and re-works the songSuavecito as already discussed. With creamy horns featuring some of the Bay area’s finest; including Tom Poole, who has played with everyone from Etta James (RIP) Boz Scaggs and of course Malo. The song also has Steve Rocha on trombone who was yet another alumni of the Malo school.

 Fire follows with excellently produced vocals and great backing built harmonies. Fire is a gentler tune, again featuring heavily layered vocals after a phased guitar opening. Paul Benavidez supplies an ethereal and higher register vocal alongside singer Octaviano Cueto. This song describes the fire building inside a Believer as they feel and encounter The Holy Spirit as it infuses them with His warmth and love. In more total terms the Spirit infuses people with the enduring Grace of God. Paul Benavidez, who was then a current Malo singer with a great high register vocal style, takes the main vocal. Manzo in a rousing vocal coda reminds us that, “For my grace you were saved and it is a gift of God”.

Some down-home funk follows with Don’t Take This Feeling Away From Me and cooks along in a mid-tempo groove with Bobby Gaviola slipping some greasy slippery hi-hats and funky drums into the sound picture. Gabe Manzo takes the lead with a nice growling vocal, supplemented by another cooking piano solo by Rick Treat. This is aided and abetted by a strident horn section, echoing in some respects, a Tower Of Power style groove. The songs deals lyrically with the Second Coming of Jesus and asks Him to not take the state of grace away from a Believer’s heart and soul.

Alabare follows and is a cool, conga led percussion llego style jam, over which Tony Menjivar drops some tasty conga fills and drops into the assembled mix.

Jesus You Came To Me is simply priceless and is a Gabe Manzo led vocal piece with excellent harmonies. All thru this recording I can remember, on first hearing, enjoying how richly layered and well produced the vocals were throughout. Consistently balanced and with fine harmony layering. The lyrics speak for themselves, “Jesus you came to me when I was down, flat on the ground. No one understood my pain. I want to share these words, to share the things He has done for us,” Again beautiful massed vocals feature with the top vocal line from Gabe Manzo This tune also features a plaintive and swirling violin solo refrain from Christopher Kranyak. The song builds up to a rousing coda with the repeated “Oh Lord! I love you so,” driving the band’s sound home with a deep sense of conviction. With added and superb Latin rock guitar soloing from Gabe. A choral ending, just featuring vocals  end this sublime song.

The Lord Is With Me is a stirring and strengthening song which reinforces the singer’s and listeners belief in Christ and reminds that this is a renewable source, which needs a daily inflowing and replenishing. The song starts with the Psalm which exhorts us, “Lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways, acknowledge Him. He will direct your paths. Trust in Him, keep your eyes on Him.”  It is a simply gorgeous song with just the right tension in the rhythm section. Beautiful nylon strung guitarra flourishes ennoble the song, which has a Spanish bullring style feel. Could this be Mr Gonzalez?? Excellent trompeta stabs by Tom Poole and flurries excite the soundscape further. The songs starts to build with a sweet vocal chorus, “Oh Lord, I trust in you, I will do my best for you,” till its abrupt end with a guitar repeat echo.

 Psalm 150 returns and this time is presented as a deeply spiritual, almost harrowing piece of solo guitar by Gabriel Manzo. One imagines Golgotha perhaps, at the beginning of the piece. This is almost like a Christian Samba Pa Ti but evoking a much deeper spiritual reality. Manzo’s guitar plunges and swoops thru the soundscape over a bed of Hammond B3 by Hermann Eberitzsch as before. The guitar is high in the mix and gets down to some bluesy wailing intermixed in the on-going solo. The guitar swirls and peaks thru some inspired Latino guitar playing by Gabriel and stands alongside Jorge Santana’s No Matter on Malo Ascension, Carlos’s Samba Pa Ti onAbraxas and Neal Schon and Carlos on Song Of The Wind on Caravanserai as examples of inspired guitar playing. It is simply and starkly beautiful.

Introducing some doo-wop into the CD is He’s Coming Home, and is a reminder of early Hispanic vocal groups standing on the street corners of the Mission District. The main vocal is ably led by Octaviano Cueto and features the recording’s trademark luxurious and creamy backing vocals.

A personal message from Tony Menjivar introduces Pastor Sonny Lara of San Jose, who tells us of how he appreciates his children, not being out on the streets and gang banging and safe at home in bed at night. It is a very appropriate and timely message after the shooting of the school kids in Connecticut that occurred yesterday.

Like Pastor Sonny says at the outro,“ Try God, and you if don’t want Him, you can have your misery and hurt and pain refunded with interest by the devil and then some. It is not a religion, it’s a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired, then I ask you to pray this simple prayer. Lord: I pray this in Jesus’ Holy Name. Love brings in strong will and that what God brings to the house. I can still talk to God, in the middle of the ocean. This is the BEST decision I ever made and there is away out,. Whatever you are going thru, God can turn everything around. I want to introduce to the Master who can make these changes for you. I lift up my Spirit, souls and body, I pray this in Jesus’ Holy Name. And now your name is written in the Book Of Life.”

 The album finishes and fades out with some haunting Mexican music as played by a small combo singing “Alleluia.” The album is dedicated to Tony Menjivar’s father Alberto and also to Bertha Menjivar who passed over before the making of the record. It is very good news to hear that this excellent piece of work is due a renewed lease of life, a second coming if I may? I will endeavour to update any further details of its re-release on here as soon as possible.

Recommended viewing/listening.

Malo drop some Techno Rumba on their 25^th year tour, showing Gabriel Manzo on guitar on Tony Menjivar on congas. Plus some added killer timbales from Roberto Quintana.

Malo CD’s still available thru Amazon.com

Malo: En Vivo Live CD

Malo: Latin Legends Live CD

Best Of Malo CD

Celebracion: Malo 4 x CD Box set

Malo: Senorita CD

Luis Gasca: For Those Who Chant:

The Mission District’s Bitches Brew.

Recorded Columbia Studios: 17 & 18^th August 1971

Finding Latino Rock records in the early 1970’s

As a young kid about 14 years old, I discovered the original Santana band. When the 3^rd album was released in October 1971, I did not think anything of walking to Beggars Banquet, a hip record store (then) situated in Ealing Broadway. Ealing was a suburb of West London; it was a good 4 or 5 miles walk from my house in Hanwell, which was also located in West London. I bought Santana 3 a few days before the UK release, the US releases seemed much better; they had much thicker card which was used on the album covers with sleeve foldouts and heavier vinyl on the US Columbia label. (Our CBS releases in the UK seemed thinner in the actual vinyl on the records and thinner in album packaging) and I just couldn’t wait the extra week to hear it. It was a very mind blowing recording, a towering selection of underground cuts that was a Number One Billboard seller. Since then I have had the pleasure of writing the sleeve notes to the Santana 3^rd album CD reissue released as a deluxe two x CD set in 2005.

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This was thanks to the auspices of original keyboardist and lead vocalist Gregg Rolie.

Shortly after buying Santana 3, I walked up again to Beggars Banquet and Steve Webbon who worked there (and who had been an art student at Ealing School Of Art, where I also had been studying art and design) showed me another beautifully designed album, with a white cover and a very nice artwork of a Negress/goddess with a rose floating over her Afro’d head. I was immediately interested in the sleeve visually and then Steve dropped the bombshell, “All the original Santana band are on this recording”.

Actually David Brown, Santana’s bassist was missing but all the others were there, plus Lenny White, Stanley Clark and a battery (literally) of percussionists, eleven in all.

I was intrigued by the music as Steve put the vinyl on over the shop’s speakers, it was Miles-like but had strong Latin rhythms and I had become aware of Luis Gasca’s hot trumpet flourishes from Para Los Rumberos on the preceding Santana 3^rd album. I believe that I heard the Luis release on around December 1971 or early 1972 on Blue Thumb Records. The recording has always stayed with me as a really deep and important piece of music, edited from long jams that were recorded at the Columbia Studios in Folsom Street, San Francisco on the 17^th and 18^th August 1971.

During writing the book Voices of Latin Rock, it was not possible to contact Luis but since then, I have had the pleasure to correspond with him and he has shed much light on this epochal recording made in those heady days when Santana was ruling the airwaves and the album charts worldwide.

I am also indebted to Abel Zarate for further detailed interview information, Jeffry Trager for added spice as he worked at Blue Thumb and also frequented Andres Club on Broadway, where “hellacious jams” occurred according to Greg Errico.

I would like to thank also Victor Aleman for some rare photos of Luis and Joe Henderson and Bernie Arriaga (co-owner of Andres Club) from back in the day.

Victor also supplied a subsequent telephone interview from Los Angeles and other extraordinary photos from back in those heady days.

Thanks also to Mark Levine, renowned keyboardist (one of four keyboard players at and on the sessions) who although not entirely sure of certain details, shed further light on these sessions.

I tried to contact Carmelo Garcia, who is not dead as I was led to believe, but living somewhere in L.A. or maybe New York City.

Michael Carabello supplied me with a cassette when I first met him in 1991 in Fairfax, California from his personal reel – to – reel tapes from these Columbia Studio sessions. I thank him retrospectively for that, as it is great to hear the initial un-dubbed sessions with false starts and no tribal vocals plus the extra pieces of unreleased further jamming in the studio.

I would like to thank Michael Shrieve for casting an eye over the interview and adding his reminiscences and comments. Thank you all gentlemen!

STEREO VINYL LP!

Luis Gasca: Luis Gasca! 1971 Blue Thumb Release!

Personnel includes:

Luis Gasca (Trumpet & Flugelhorn);

Joe Henderson (Tenor Saxophone);

Carlos Santana, Neal Schon,

Abel Zarate (Guitars);

George Cables, Gregg Rolie, Mark Levine

(Piano, Electric Piano);

Richard Kermode (Organ);

Lenny White, Michael Shrieve (Drums);

Stanley Clark (Bass);

Victor Pantoja, Mike Carabello (Congas);

Carmelo Garcia, Coke Escovedo (Timbales);

Rico Reyes, Snooky Flowers (Percussion).

Jose “Chepito” Areas; Vibes

Joan Macgregor, Garnett Mimms; Percussions.

TRACKS:

A1. Street Dude (11:40);

A2. La Raza (8:03);

B1. Spanish Gypsy (15:07);

B2. Little Mama (5:28).

Artwork By [Painting Of Front And Back Cover] – Phillip Lindsay Mason

Engineer [Recording] – Glen Kolotkin, Mike Larner

Mixed By – Ken Hopkins, Luis Gasca, Stan Marcum

Photography – Victor Aleman

Producer [For David Rubinson & Friends, Inc., San Francisco] – Luis Gasca.

Supervised By [Production] – Stan Marcum

Recorded at Columbia Recording Studios, San Francisco August 17 & 18, 1971

Mixed at Wally Heider Recording, San Francisco

Dedicated to Gonzales Mares Garza “with little birds and flowers”, 1902 – December 25, 1971

For Those Who Chant Interviews —

 Luis Gasca was a scenester and musician-about-town in 1971 in San Francisco. He jumped the Santana train through the auspices of percussionista Coke Escovedo, played horn and was very influential as the horn section with Roy Murray (see earlier interview with Roy on this site) on the debut Malo disc. He also recorded For Those Who Chant, which is the main thrust of this piece.

Luis remembered his introduction to this exhilarating, fomenting situation, “I had met the Santana band while I was part of the Kosmic Blues Band with Janis Joplin at Woodstock, they were unknown at that time and on they’re way to becoming very, very famous. Janis was very popular at that time and being a Latino along with Carlos, Chepito, Mike Carabello and Fito Parra (the drummer for Canned Heat) we sort of bonded you might say several years before the For Those Who Chant recording.

I had played on the 3rd (Santana 3) and 4th (Carlos Santana and Buddy Miles Live) Santana albums and became good friends with Stan Marcum, whom I considered very smart and he had some very good and different ideas for a person that had little experience in the band and recording business, also another quality I saw in him, which is also very rare in the record business, was that he was not greedy. He was very fair and not an egomaniac like people I had worked with, like Albert Grossman (manager of Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin) also Joe Dorn (who ran the affairs of Roberta Flack and Freddie Hubbard) and a wannabe musician, “you will never work in this town again type of dick head”, namely David Rubinson.

Because of Stan’s fairness, I, Victor Pantoja, Hadley Caliman, all received royalties from the Santana and Buddy Miles album. Stan never received the credit he deserved and unfortunately lost his position during the original Santana band disagreements and Bill Graham’s power trips.

I will forever be indebted to and miss Stan and like many of us at that time he had “his demons”.

Does anyone know what happened to Stan?

 (Stan Marcum never overcame his alcohol and drug demons and died in 2010 I believe, according to what Herbie Herbert told me. There was an obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle, this information was also relayed to me by Herbie – Jim note).

I asked Luis about the “Chant” recording and how it came about?

Stan lent me $7.000 to get started and he got the studio time the engineers, etc, and helped get the Santana guys to be part of the musical trip.  Mike Carabello and Michael Shrieve and also Carlos at one time or another, helped me when I managed Andres Club in North Beach along with Bernie Arriaga.

(See Victor Aleman’s photo of Gasca and Arriaga with Eddie Palmeiri – Jim note).

While working with Mongo Santamaria in 1967 we recorded an album with David Rubinson before he became the San Francisco based “infant terrible” ha, ha!!
After the success of the first Malo record, I took my recorded tape to David and with the bargaining power of the Santana name he got me a contract with Blue Thumb Records. I did not have any specific ideas in mind, except to get the musicians in the studio with no preconceived musical ideas.

I was always been influenced by Miles Davis and had been listening to the Bitches Brew and Miles In The Sky albums, where he broke away from chord changes, to playing musical statements and motifs, more so than melodies going in and out and different time feels. So I gave it my best shot and all things considered I think it stands the test of time like my other albums, especially with all the things going on around me at that time, which also included my own demons.

Victor Aleman was originally a member and director/founder of The Outlaw Blues Band, which lasted for seven years in Los Angeles and he then became involved in photographing the nascent Latin and Jazz scene in San Francisco in 1970’s.

“At the end of The Outlaw Blues Band contract with ABC Bluesway Records where we recorded two albums with Bob Thiele as a producer (producer of John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong and many other great musicians), I became involved in photography and visual arts.

One day I went to see Larry Young, the great jazz organist playing at Griffith Park at a series of free concerts they held in the Los Angeles area. After Larry Young’s set Luis Gasca came to play next; Luis had Carmelo Garcia on timbales, Hadley Caliman on tenor sax, Lenny White on drums, George Cables on piano, Victor Pantoja on congas and other musicians that I do not recall. At that time I didn’t know who Luis Gasca was.

Luis was also playing a gig at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach where I went and show him the images that I have taken at the Griffin Park concert. He told me he really liked my photography and if I would be interested in going to San Francisco to meet a new band called Malo. They need photographs for a new album cover they were just finishing.

I travelled to the bay area and I started photographing Malo at rehearsals at The Heliport in Sausalito and the many other places they played at that time.

For me, Abel Zarate at that time was one of the best guitarists in that scene. The band had all kinds of problems, with young egos etc, I thought when that initial lineup dissolved they really lost something very special. Of course they went on to get master conguero Francisco Aguabella and Hadley Caliman on the second recording.”

(Jim note; Victor Aleman was responsible for the infrared back cover and dramatic photos of Malo inside the fold out on their debut album release. He also did the photography for three albums released by Luis Gasca and was one of the official photographers at the Keystone Korner club in North Beach where he documented the greatest jazz musicians including Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Stan Getz, Yusef Lateef, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and many others.)

Luis Gasca was then living with Richard Kermode in the North Beach area of San Francisco. Gasca introduced Aleman to Andres Club on Broadway, in North Beach, San Francisco. Andres was being run for its fairly short but dramatic lifespan, by a local hipster called Bernie Arriaga.

Victor remembers it as, a “small little club in North Beach, the very hip and historical area in San Francisco. It was very close to the bay, so there was a lot of tourists, artists and the club became a magnet for Latin jazz at that time, because Luis made it onto “the” hip scene of the city.

Luis had the gift of attracting a lot of other musicians to any club he was playing at. Luis made it happen. Carlos Santana used to come there when he was in his learning transition about jazz. I think Luis and the many musicians that were playing there at that time were pretty instrumental in expanding Carlos’ musical horizons. You never knew who was going to show up on any given night. Luis was running the house band there. The Santana musicians showed up a lot, the Escovedo brothers, Armando Peraza, Victor Pantoja, Francisco Aguabella, George Cables, Lenny White, Sly and the Family Stone, Rick Stevens, Mongo Santamaria and many other musicians that I really do not remember. But it was the place to be any day of the week in San Francisco, because it was full of surprises, musically.”

For Luis Gasca’s seminal “Chant” recording, a mixture of these jazz musicos and the original Santana band entered the Columbia Studios that August in 1971…

I asked Luis about the interplay between the Santana group and the jazz players?

“I’ve already mentioned that Stan Marcum helped me with the Santana band and I personally asked the guys.
At that particular time all the Santana band including Carlos had received instant fame and fortune and with the power struggle going on within the band, they had plenty of time to hang out.

Having Victor Pantoja, Francisco Aguabella, Carmelo Garcia, Richard Kermode, Hadley Caliman in my band at any given time, allowed them to hang out and sit in and also to become personal friends.

Joe Henderson was appearing at a great jazz club managed by Delano Dean Delano (Dean was the owner of the jazz club both/and. I played there one night and Dizzy Gillespie and Roland Kirk sat in with me, it was a famous great club!)

He (Joe Henderson) asked me if I needed any more musicians when I asked him to do the record date; he took the whole band along which also included, George Cables, and an unknown bass player at that time Stanley Clark and Lenny White, the drummer who had recorded on Bitches Brew with Miles Davis – by the way the flute player on “Chant” is Hadley Caliman”.

Mark Levine one of the four keyboardists on the session, was not in agreement with all of Luis’ musical decisions

I worked with Joe Henderson a lot over a 15-20 year period, but we were not close friends. I remember getting paid for the Chant session. There was so much coke around then that I forget a lot. I was in Luis’ band but it was not a working band, but it usually consisted of Joe Henderson, various bass players, Carmelo, various congueros, and myself.

Yes, I was also part of Pete and Sheila’s band at The Reunion, but I don’t remember the club Andres.

I felt there were too many percussionists on the record and also two many keys players.

George Cables and me were on piano, we got in each other’s way but I respect and admire George a lot though.

I asked Luis about the extraordinary and almost telepathic guitar playing by Neal Schon and Abel Zarate on “Little Mama” and the point at record track timing; 4 minutes and 34 seconds When they both “hit” a kind of classical guitar fugue for a hot minute???

I don’t musically remember that part Neal and Abel played, though, I believe it was spontaneous in a spontaneous musical setting. Where one is recording, there are some excellent parts that you keep and chaos that you discard, because you only have a certain amount of time on the record. Miles did the same thing and those are the consequences of recording “free” with no preconceived ideas!

I also asked Abel Zarate the same question?

Abel you plugged in for Little Mama with Neal Schon,

there is a fabulous part at (timed from Facebook

post at 4 minutes 34 seconds) when you and Neal hit a together guitar part, an almost ‘classical part’ was that an accident??

Nothing was planned Jim, everything was flowing and very spontaneous. I’m sure that I was ‘overplaying’ a bit, but Neal and I just intertwined at that point in the jam.

You could call it a magnificent accident if you like LOL… I just listened to it … that’s me coming in right at 4:34 after Neal; I guess we had BIG ears that day huh!

Luis had me stop after a while, my feeling is that he wanted the more experienced jazz players to take it somewhere else; I wouldn’t call it chaotic, it was just unstructured improvisation and I guess that’s what Luis wanted.

BTW Jim, I listened to both Little Mama and Street Dude in their entirety, and Carlos does NOT appear on either tune; he must have played on the other two tracks.

Jim, that’s also me and Neal on Street Dude; I just listened to it, I didn’t realize until now, that I am on TWO cuts from this LP … Street Dude and Little Mama - that is too much!!!

I’m listening to Spanish Gypsy right now and that IS Carlos on that one!

We went to The Automatt (surely Columbia recording studio?) during the ‘Luis’ sessions and that’s how I got to play. He invited Pablo and I to sit in, so I plugged in my guitar and started playing … I distinctly remember Lenny White, Coke, and Stanley Clarke; it was surreal.

Also, I’m going to assume that Luis’ record was done BEFORE we did the Malo LP. To my best memory, I believe the Malo LP was recorded in late August and September … you might want to check with Rich Spremich and others on this?

Abel Zarate also remembered other players at the sessions?

I believe Luis had invited us to the studio while we were rehearsing at the Heliport in Sausalito … hence, that is why we had our instruments with us.

I remember we were invited to the Columbia Studio on Folsom Street, across from where SIR studios used to be. Jorge, Pablo, and I were in awe of the musicians present, they were doing ‘unstructured free-form jams’ it seemed.

Luis turned to me and Pablo Tellez and asked if we wanted to play, so I nodded yes, and plugged in across from Neal Schon.

I doodled around for a bit, and then found an opening and started them off on a cha-cha vamp … not sure how long I played and when they started getting really ‘out’, Luis had me stop playing! I used to have a copy of that record on CD, but can’t find it now.

We met Carmelo Garcia via Luis, we hung out at Basin St West a few times on Broadway Street, and if I remember correctly, Carmelo also played timbales at Andre’s and at Cesar’s Latin Palace.

I seem to recall that he either sat in, or played on a couple of gigs that I did with Kermode. Carmelo didn’t speak English very well, but he was always smiling and joking around; I believe Richard Spremich would have more to say about Carmelo than I do.

Thanks Jim, as many years have passed from this project, I do not want to ‘ruffle’ any feathers. But I was always curious as to why I ended up on the final mix unaccredited.

(Abel see Luis’s comment further on- Jim note)

Luis Gasca also remembered the framework around the recording sessions.

Besides finding a financial sponsor (Stan Marcum), getting the band which included rooms, advances, “goodies”, women and countless other things, I had “a lot on my plate” and then I had to play the trumpet which is very demanding.

Please also tell Abel Zarate that I did not mean to leave him out on the album credits; it was an oversight on my part. I also left out other people who had helped me. I was pretty burned out mentally and physically, so tell every one hi for me… (Hi from Luis everyone!!)

For Abel Zarate; the sessions were a new learning curve and a chance to play with hotshot youngster Neal Schon…??

Well, it was ‘listen’ and compliment … everything was flowing free-form, but I was right across from Neal (perhaps I was overplaying a bit. You know it was a totally new experience for me at that time … but Luis was having us experiment with the ‘cosmos’ at MALO rehearsals, so I was sort of ready for it … we were all learning the use of space etc. etc. … and how to ‘listen’ … although I hadn’t yet mastered that LOL!

The recording session that I was at was done ‘live’ … everyone in the room separated only by baffles … I wasn’t privy, as to who was overseeing the project.

All I know is that we were invited, and we showed up … so there are THREE scenarios that could explain how I ended up on that record.

Neal was quite aloof, as he WAS the hot guitarist then for sure (I didn’t know at the time that he had already played with Derek and the Dominoes) so I gave him his space, and didn’t say too much to him. It was a blast playing in the same room with him, as I had heard so much about him.

I was only at ONE session, and I had no idea I’d be playing that day … hence, I was VERY surprised when I heard my parts on the record … but I was very busy doing other projects.

After I left Malo and wasn’t sure what I could do about it, or whether or not it was worth pursuing. I was young and really didn’t care, or thought it would matter much.

Abel Zarate also had to leave the Malo band later after this Gasca recording, due to encroaching health reasons

Health problems were the reason they fired me from Malo!

I missed an entire weeks’ engagement at the Whiskey A Go-Go in Los Angeles because of it, the management used that as grounds to let me go; it is what it is, and it was what it was:-)

Jeffry Trager was working at Blue Thumb Records with Tommy LiPuma and Bob Krasnow and remembered Luis’ personality?

Luis was one great trumpet player, who came along right in the middle of the Latin Rock Explosion. One of the craziest and wackiest guys you would ever want to meet. Always hustling for something.

Personally, I loved the guy. He was ALWAYS great to me. He was a mixture of Puck and Peter Pan. Great smile, always getting into trouble.

He was here, there, everywhere, and had friends, and he had enemies. He was full steam ahead for just about anything, especially if it had 2 legs. “Hey Mama” was his signature line.

He disappeared for a while and I think he faked his own death.

I was in Cancun Mexico one night and I am shitfaced and I hear this guy playing the horn on the stage with some band, and it was Luis!

I immediately screamed “Mama” and he stopped dead in the middle of his solo, and looked out, because he knew someone from The City was in the audience. He just loved that.

He was at the time, taking people out on fishing trips on a boat he had. What a place to find Luis. It was fucking great to hear that familiar sound, just great! A REAL CHARACTER of the inth degree!!

Abel Zarate also recalled the Santana band’s disarray at that time.…….

I remember that Richard Spremich, Jorge, Pablo and I ran into Carlos at Luis’ gig at Basin Street West, and he had left the band out on the road … but I can’t say for sure if this is why he was not present at the session, nor can I speak to what his relationship was with Mike Carabello at the time…

Although it could very well be, that things were very difficult.

Carlos made it clear that things were less than kosher between he and the band at Basin Street … and he sat in with Luis that night on the number ‘Linda Chicana’.

I am paraphrasing from well known facts that Michael and Carlos did not get along for quite awhile … but I witnessed the two of them hug and make up when Carabello and I went to visit Carlos, right before I joined Willie Bobo, so I was under the assumption that that is the reason Carlos was NOT there on the day, I sat in at the Columbia Studios session.

As regarding sets with Luis, I don’t really remember all that much, but we were doing songs like ‘Morning’ by Claire Fischer, if I remember correctly, and some Latin descarga style stuff … very loose … I think I only did a couple of live gigs with Luis, and the others were with Kermode much later. I am not sure if I also played at Cesar’s Latin Palace with Luis.

Luis had made some great connections in the San Franciscan music scene…one in particular…

With “all things considered” I had enough recorded material to put an album together, so that in itself felt really good.

I first heard Joe Henderson on two “jazz hits” of that time (the 1960`s) Song For My Father with Horace Silver and The Side Winder with Lee Morgan who was shot by his wife getting off the bandstand at a jazz club in New York – Slugs my friend from Houston Texas and Billy Roy Harper was the tenor player in the band.

I knew Lee from the Apollo Theater in New York, when I worked there with Mongo Santamaria. Like all true artists, Joe had an immediate recognizable sound, which was something hard to do under the shadows and influence during the same time of the great and established tenor giants – John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins were still alive (Sonny Rollins is still alive and playing).

He recorded and worked with everyone but never achieved the popularity of other sax players (say players like Gato Barbieri, Stanley Turrentine, Charles Lloyd, etc.), which unfortunately happens too often in the record business, when they don’t really support and get behind the artist.

Joe and I were good friends, and Joe went to the Corpus Christi Jazz Festival, which also included pianista Mark Levine and timbalero Carmelo Garcia, which was also a series of concerts that I promoted in the San Francisco area.

Joe had some type of “debt” so I “loaned” him some money, which I was at that time in a position and more than glad to do it!

Yes, we were good friends. I also indirectly helped him get his house in Potrero Hill on Las Palmas Street in San Francisco in the 1970’s.

The Little Giant album was the first time Joe and I worked together and I was musically honored when I called him to do the date and he said he would be there!

When he walked into the studio the producer (a wannabe) asked me why I had called Joe Henderson, when he could have got others! I naturally ignored Joel Dorn.

I never liked the name of the album ‘Little Giant’ which was embarrassing for me and I hated the album cover artwork –pineapples and pop art combined-.

There was already a real “little giant” a great tenor player called Johnny Griffin – so much for the great producer, thank you Joel Dorn: what a joke!!

After the “Chant” album, he (Joe Henderson) asked me to get the material, the music and the band for an album he was behind on for Fantasy Records and he wasn’t ready.

So, with the help of Mark Levine and Joe Gallardo, we recorded “Canyon Lady” with Orrin Keepnews an excellent producer for Fantasy Records.

But ironically about a year later, Joe Henderson, Cal Tjader and I were “dropped” from Fantasy Records. I was honored to be cancelled in such outstanding company, ha, ha, ha!

Time passed and at last at the age of 50 plus, Joe Henderson finally got all the recognition, like Grammy Magazine Covers, etc.

I saw him on a TV show at the White House with Bill Clinton, who ironically said that it was easier for him to become President than it was to ever play as good as John Coltrane or Stan Getz.

The last time I saw Joe before he died I asked him: “how it felt finally getting all this success”? He joked with me and told me it, “felt good to check out of a hotel with dignity ha, ha, and pay the bill with no trouble.”

I think about Joe often and forever I am honor and humbled to truly say I was a friend of his and he was a friend of mine.

I understood his demons. He was a very private person, “the phantom” as Freddy Hubbard once joked.

It almost seems to me that John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz, had to pass away before Joe finally got his short lived recognition.

He certainly could easily fill those empty slots of the great tenor player of this musically complicated world.

I think about Joe often and will forever miss him!!

P.S. the name of Delanor Deans jazz club was the Both/And jazz club. A great place in the Fillmore district. The Both/And Jazz Club (350 Divisadero Street; San Francisco) were one of these.

Open from 1965 to 1972, the tiny space quickly became one of the last major jazz clubs in the area.

The fantastic saxophonist John Handy was part of one of the first bands to play the Both/And.

Handy says that he was responsible for putting the club on the map and “taking it from sandwiches to a liquor license” when Chronicle music reviewer Ralph Gleason came down to one of Handy’s shows and wrote about the club Readers are recommended to check out John Handy’s 1976 R&B cut called Hard Work, (Assembled on a 2-for-1 CD release on Verve, this January 2012 called Hard Work/Carnival, featuring a great band and Handy’s superb soloing).

Joe Louis Walker also has fond memories of the Both/And. He remembers seeing Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery there.

“It was a cool atmosphere at the Both/And, the premier jazz club for a while. It had a stage to the right and an upstairs area. John McLaughlin played there one night out of a Marshall amp. No one could believe it. Jazz chicks were going crazy. It was an excellent show.

Across the street was Pal’s Rendezvous (on 298 Divisadero Street; San Francisco), another bar that featured great music.

I asked Luis what had happened to the crazy, extroverted timbalero Carmelo Garcia???

Carmelo García is alive and well in Los Angeles.

(I believe according to Mark Levine he has now relocated to New York City- Jim note)

It was a very hard “struggle for him” especially being raised in Santo Domingo.

But he made it back and he’s one of the best and “natural” percussionists in the world. There was lots of “respect and cooperation”.

Between all concerned, which made it less intense, it was experimental and most of us were on cloud nine.

On the album credits; who was Gonzales Mares Garza “with little birds and flowers”?

Garza is my grandmother. She was a wonderful Indian woman who always worked in her rose garden with little birds and flowers.

I had to kneel so she could “bless me” in La Bendición before I went “ on the road” at a very young age.

Who was the cover artist Philip Lindsay Mason?

After my Joel Dorn album covers my girlfriend Patricia Henner introduced me to Philip, yes he was an Afro-American artist, he was one of the best.

I saw it on Patricia, my aunt’s wall, who was going out with Philip at the time and I knew immediately that was the cover for the music. I had in mind a really nice cover and the front I liked but not the back art they used? (also by Philip Lindsay Mason- Jim note)

Luis Gasca today……………..??

I now live a very peaceful life now, I had to pay tenfold for so many mistakes with drugs, liquor and I was much later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was not a good combo, but “all things considered”, there is not many musicians that have crisscrossed genres, such as Mongo, Count Basie, Janis Joplin, Dr John, The Grateful Dead, etc.. and especially coming from such a humble environment (the Mexican ward in Houston, Texas).

I touched “the stars” even if it was for a past moment in time.

A closer look at the music on the original recording and some other music sessions recorded in those two days that did not make the sessions………….

This record is only available on old vinyl copies and is still buyable on Ebay etc and also as an expensive Japanese import CD.  

I have enclosed YouTube clips of reasonable quality for you to hear this marvellous music. Please get this recording if you are able, it is well worth it.

TRACKS:

A1. Street Dude (11:40);

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKbn4P9NcXg&feature=related

 This starts immediately after the Little Mama guitar jams on the undubbed sessions between Abel Zarate and Neal Schon. Here a gorgeous Latin guitar riff opens this piece played by Abel Zarate. Neal Schon also appears on this cut according to Abel and they work magic together. A different sound picture allows you to hear the deft guitar playing by Zarate. The solo by Joe Henderson on tenor is the same as on the finished recording. Shrieve and White on respective drum kits lope in a relaxed and intense fashion. There is an out-there vibe to this largely unstructured music that sounds both spontaneous and deeply thought about, at the same time. Chepito on vibes is heard clearly here along with the organ of Richard Kermode. The whole thing swings effortlessly and in a deep, almost contemplative groove. All the while the electric pianos point and jab and add colors whilst Chepito enhances the piece with vibraphone textures.

Gasca adds plaintive trumpet until Clarke adds a sonorous time change on bass, after which the whole ensemble switches gear and begins a percussive onslaught, which is still shockingly avant – garde all these forty years later. The timbaleros start to apply tom-tom pressure to proceedings. Please note here the added vocal chants that are on the finished recording are not all present here yet. Excellent guitar abstractions by Neal follow here. Africa is calling as the mood intensifies and the percussionistas get down. Chants begin, these I would imagine courtesy of Carmelo Garcia, Victor Pantoja; but here they are less defined than the finished recording but they are still compelling. The music moves along in a trance like manner similar to Bambele Bambeyo, with hypnotic congas by Pantoja and then the timbales strike up again.

This unedited piece finishes with guitar caresses by both guitar players around free form percussion and bass. Again it is longer than the album cut. On the fade-out it features some magisterial trumpet from Gasca. Electric piano adding free form flourishes, end out the piece.

(Unheard music here)

 And lead into a section of open playing without percussion, this I imagine is both Mark Levine and George Cables.

This leads into a subtle riff led by Stanley Clarke’s bass under the two pianistas. Shrieve and White set up a swing time drum pattern over which the pianists hit some laidback soloing with Clarke adding a ruminating bass solo. Shrieve then heads out into a snare and bass drum propelled solo piece with his trademark crisp snare two stroke rolls. This diminishes in volume until the bass comes back into the picture.

A further section features solo piano from George Cables in a spare setting, with sparse bass from Mr Clarke. At least and more than twenty minutes in length, this opens up with a light funky and jazzy pulse set up by the drummers. The music changes to drums being played in a light and fast style. It goes on further thru moods and time changes in a pure Latino jazz style, just the pianos, bass and the two drummers, bobbing and playing a thick but dexterous sheet of cymbal rhythm.

We then enter deeper abstract territory with wah-wah electric piano playing with snare drums playing thru what sounds like time delay or Echoplex; similar perhaps in feel to the Mwandishi/Sextant era Herbie Hancock. This resolves into a blues shuffle, like a funkier Jack Johnson and the music starts to get on down.  The music spins and wheels thru different moods and changes in the spaces of a few bars.

Never settling, always changing, the bass bubbles and Mike Shrieve plays some drum raps thru an Echoplex or similar device giving the drums a space age filtered feel. (Remember this is pre electronic era drums, back in 1971 and reminds one of Shrieve’s ever-exploratory musical nature)

A funky vibe starts up with Clarke Shrieve and White cooking up a storm, against a distant electric piano.

A2. La Raza (8:03);

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0knkHC2ob0

 With a meditative and haunting opening horn theme by Gasca and Joe Henderson, La Raza is another musical jewel from this extraordinary recording session. Bowed bass by Stanley Clarke accompanies a poignant dreamy intro by Luis on trumpet here. The musicians feel their way towards an almost straight ahead funky 4/4 time riff, in which Gasca desultorily plays over the top, the drums start to kick in and push and thrust the piece into a more urgent mood. Joe Henderson appears from nowhere, as if he had just walked in thru the studio door at that moment. His tenor flurries are replied too with a kicking drum section, both jabbing and punctuating the sax player’s bluesy playing. Both drummers ride the tom-toms behind an increasingly agitated solo by Henderson.

It funks ferociously and Henderson drags the music to the point of exploding or imploding, whichever way you are hearing it? Henderson drags it back from the edge of collapse by a funky tenor refrain before hitting the main theme, aided and abetted by Clarke’s deeply bent and pulled bass strings. Thus, the track fades almost too quickly, after an eight-minute piece of the deepest jazz exploration.

B1. Spanish Gypsy (15:07);

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fE9uvjVMMk&feature=related

The atmospheric intro of this piece starts with a false start on the un-dubbed reel-to-reel tapes from the Columbia Studio sessions and then it starts up again; these two parts were edited on the final recording and made into a seamless start on the record.

Carabello’s congas are to the fore on this rough mix and the horn intro with Joe Henderson is the same a sultry thematic that heralds the beginning of a firecracker solo by Luis Gasca. Neal Schon’s rhythm guitar can be clearly heard, along with Carlos’s jazzy guitar extrapolations. Luis’s trompeta solo is different here to the one on the finished recording this seems to be a guide solo before he recorded the “real thing”. It is more tentative and not as explosive as the record. Stanley Clarke bass playing buzzes throughout the track. This first section is followed by Carlos playing some echoed and tasty guitar licks playing while around the pianists rippling and vamping. The percussion section starts to pick up energy and dynamism here with Carmelo Garcia injecting some tasty timbale fills. Joe Henderson erupts on tenor saxophone and this is the same solo as on the album recording. Victor Pantoja supplies simple but strong conga flams and drops along with Coke Escovedo and Carmelo’s timbale drops. Both Michael Shrieve and Lenny White start to heat up the piece as the pressure increases in the two-man drum section. Further excellent flurrying guitar from Carlos ensues, adding strong flavor to this extended track. Luis Gasca’s trumpet flurries seem to be pulling and braking the music back and the track breaks into a time change with Carlos playing a refrain over the time change. Congas and timbales all seem to be falling apart, as the track heads to a final fade with Carlos and Neal adding languid guitar fretting. This is a different mix than the finished album so Neal and Carlos are heard in a different sound picture. There is a much longer fade here, with much more fluid guitar from Neal and Carlos not heard on the recording. There is also some tasty drum kit and timbale interaction on the way outwards. Another Henderson solo comes in amongst the percolating and cooking rhythm section, which is bubbling in a very cool fashion. This unedited session is a good eight or nine minutes longer than the album cut. I would estimate an approximate time of 23/24 minutes or more for this excellent musica. Music of a kind, which was never to be heard in this form again.

B2. Little Mama (5:28).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4JcMRoCO3Y&feature=relmfu

This starts in a floating, almost formless way before the music heard on the session called Little Mama intro is heard on the record. Before Neal Schon brings in that light but funky guitar riff that starts some great guitar jamming between him and Abel Zarate. The guitar playing is light, airy but seamlessly intertwining as the riff gathers momentum and pulls to a halt, allowing Neal and Abel to flex their mighty musical muscles here. It’s a mesmeric brew of snarling and caterwauling guitar playing from both men. Both wailing and interwoven plus crisply bluesy and soulful; although the two had never met or played before, An example of the astounding musical telepathy extant in those heady days of the San Franciscan Latin rock scene.

There is an astonishing moment (4 minutes 34 seconds) when Neal and Abel Zarate hit a ”fugue” like moment that is truly astounding to hear. As Abel said earlier in the main interview, it was a pure moment that happened spontaneously in the room. On the finished recording the intro piece was recorded at a different time and edited onto the front of this piece. On the reel-to-reel it introes immediately afterwards with Abel Zarate’s beautiful chiming Latin guitar riff for Street Dude.

In the photo of Eddie Palmieri, Luis Gasca is on the left and on the right is the owner of Andres’ club, Bernie Arriaga in the North Beach area of San Francisco. The other is of Carmelo Garcia playing at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California.

[Show as slideshow]

(1) Where and when were you born and when did you start to play the congas/Drums or any other instruments?

I was born in 1954 in Managua, Nicaragua. I played guitar as a kid but opted for running the streets of the Mission district better. I began dabbling on congas in 1968 at 14.

(2) What was your first musical break or recording?? My most hypnotic moment was performing with the band “Soul Sauce” which included Leo Rosales and played originals.
We played 3 tunes at a Cesar Chavez concert in San Jose at SJ State. The other bands at this benefit for the farm workers were Steve Miller Band, Doobie Brothers, and Joan Baez. We were in great company and the crowd responded really loud to us. At that moment I knew I would have a life in music. I was fortunate at 17 to be asked to record on Malo Dos with Francisco Aguabella. He was one of the 3 juggernauts that inspired all of us.

(3) Tell us about your growing up, any funny or interesting anecdotes
My older brother Ron was one of the 1st Tropical DJ’s in the bay area and promoted the Latin music scene that eventually became the SF salsa scene. One time in the 60′s I was 9 and sleeping in the coatroom at one of the dances that Coke and Pete Escovedo were performing at for my brother. Pete and Coke were in my life always, because my brother my brother Ron was a DJ. I heard screams and yells of delight and witnesses this Yoda looking little black dude going off. It was the legendary percussion icon Armando Peraza. He is one of my dearest friends to their day.

(4) What were your music influences then, what turned you on to music and excited you??
I loved Elvis, Dusty Springfield and the Beatles. My Mother was not professional singer but sang Tropical love tunes daily. Those songs are dear to me to this day.

(5) How did you develop as a musician, what teachers etc or were you self-taught?
My brother Ron took one conga lesson with Mongo Santamaria. He taught a pattern called Tumbao. I taught it to Raul Rekow and we were happy to know an authentic rhythm.

(6) Tell us about your involvement with earlier groups in SF etc, how did you get to join, what were the other bands you were involved in that San Francisco Scene?
The first band was a cover band called JJMad that did Santana covers. Soul Sauce, Mega and Cisum were other bands that I played in back in the early 70s.

(7) What are your memories of early Latino rock, Malo, Santana, etc, what did you feel about these days and times?
I was hypnotized by the 1st Santana band I watched at The Fillmore West. To this day I write bass lines that mimic David Brown, Santana’s first bassist.
The other thing was my family knew Chepito Areas from Nicaragua. He coached me in my conga infancy. Pete Escovedo was a great influence on me and remains dear to me to this day.

(8) What do you remember about playing with Malo (Dos record) plus any other recordings from then?
The conga Baptism that Francisco Aguabella gave me on “Oye Mama” was unforgettable. Richard Kermode really opened my eyes musically.

(10) When did you join Malo, what were your next projects then? Tell us about the recordings you have made with them?
I never was a member of Malo. I was invited to participate on Malo Dos and that was it. I got to play on Malo Dos because of Leo Rosales.

(11) How did the massive drugs/party scene back then affect you personally/if at all?
I was not interested in clouding my skills. My father was an alcoholic and I knew it was not good.

(12) Tell us about Latin rock scene; what makes it different to you, about your style? About other drummers in the Latin Rock SF scene and beyond that you admire?? Then and now?
Lets talk about musicians. I was completely turned on about the music scene we had here in the late 60′s and 70′s. My song writing today is impacted by all of the influences; Saint Bill Graham brought us here in SF. Bill Graham invented the rock concert.

(14) Tell us about you latest recording and the group you have now?
My latest albums are “Canciones De El Pinolero” and the “Sarita Collection” by Bermudez Triangle on iTunes. The first CD mentioned includes a smooth Jazz version of “Suavecito” with 3 great lady vocalists on it. I don’t have a group. Done babysitting musicians. I write and record tunes for submission to TV and film. I collaborate with musicians writing and use musicians on a have to basis. They play great, get paid and fed and that’s it. Gracias

(15) Plans for the future?
My songs are heard on “Cable TV’s “Dexter” show on the Showtime network. I’ve had songs on many TV shows and would love to have more in movies. I work hard at song writing and you can hear many of the tunes atwww.bermudeztriangle.com <http://www.bermudeztriangle.com <http://www.bermudeztriangle.com> >  also at YouTube and iTunes.

(16) Some thoughts on being a musician today
It’s hard for young musicians coming up because DJ’s and technology has taken lots of the live work away.
Ultimately the love keeps you in the music. My life is as a songwriter-Producer these days. I am not putting a band together anytime soon. 57 years old and I don’t like babysitting musicians any more.

All my CD’s are on iTunes.
My bio is on www.bermudeztriangle.com <http://www.bermudeztriangle.com>
You can get recording credits there if you choose.
My creative world is in LA but I choose to live in Northern California.

Victor Pantoja from Ralph Riccardi on Vimeo.

Victor Pantoja; conguero par excellence has passed on the morning of March 12, 2010 at 6:00 am. I had the pleasure of interviewing Victor Pantoja thru a visit to Mike Carabello, who was then living in Fairfax, California, this was in the year 1991. I interviewed Victor over the phone for a magazine feature I was doing. I didn’t in fact use some of that till writing the Voices of Latin Rock book.

Victor Pantoja

I remember Carabello telling me, how he had brought Victor in, to hang around the Santana camp, as he had loved his playing with Willie Bobo and Gabor Szabo and Chico Hamilton. Santana had included Hamilton’s song Conquistadores in their early sets. Pantoja also came onto the Santana tour of 1971, playing alongside at various gigs, Rico Reyes, Coke & Pete Escovedo.

Pantoja ended up being recorded at Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles Live set from the Diamond Crater in Hawaii. He also played on the outtake Banbeye, which can be heard on the Santana 3 two CD Legacy Edition, released in 2005. (This edition has new and detailed sleeve notes by myself).

Victor Pantoja Crater Gig 1972

Pantoja had an earthy style, sparse in places, with each slap and beat echoing his Cubano background. Standout cuts from Victor for Latin rock freaks will be the two Azteca recordings, Malo’s debut album, the Luis Gasca solo recording, Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles Live plus
the aforementioned Santana 3rd album outtake Banbeye.
But his exhilarating playing on the Gabor Szabo cuts and with Willie Bobo and Chico Hamilton bear renewed investigation and show his earthy, soulful brilliance.

Please find a filmed interview from Voices Of Latin Rock Year 5 show, this was filmed backstage on Saturday January 24th 2009 at The Warfield; San Francisco. God Bless you Victor. RIP.
Here is an unedited excerpt of Victor talking that mostly did not make the Voices book.

“Victor Pantoja; “ I was born in Puerto Rico, raised in New York. I started playing when I was eight years old, then I went on to play with Tito Rodriguez, Tito Puente, Machito, loads of others. My first band was with my sister. I played drums too, on top. I was with The Harry James Orchestra, when I was about fifteen. ‘

Mike Carabello had brought Victor Pantoja into the Santana scene during recording of the 3rd album. Chepito had suffered a brain haemorrage just as Santana were due to tour Europe in 1971. Coke Escovedo guested and toured on Santana 3, (during the time of Chepito Areas’ illness) just before the band were due to go on the road, starting in Ghana, Africa. Ghana was then just entering the first flush of it’s independence from Britain and the concert was a planned celebration, featuring the cream of US soul and jazz, such as Roberta Flack, Les McCann & Eddie Harris, Wilson Pickett and Ike & Tina Turner.

John Santos; “ Pete Escovedo sang with Mongo on Mongo’s Charanga. Victor Pantoja is Puerto Rican, not Cuban, he played with the Orchestre Cacho in Puerto Rico, he played bongoes and congas, then he was with Herbie Mann and then they both hit the Latin Rock scene with Azteca, after they’d touched Santana on the Third album. Victor was very influenced by Carlos Patato Valdes.”

Victor Pantoja; “ I played with Herbie Mann, we went to Europe, when I got back, I played with Jimmy Smith. I knew Luis Gasca from the Stan Kenton days. I came out to California, playing with Wes Montogomery . I had also met Willie Bobo, we were from the same neighbourhood, that was the barrio. We used to play at a place called Count Basie’s.“

pantoja bobo album cover

Herbie Herbert; “ When the band was splitting up, we tried to change the spiral by dosing them with liquid Owsley. It was Gregg’s first trip, we took the drops too, to stay on the same page. It was the most electrifying show at Cobo Hall at Detroit and
Carlos was wondering what was going on, Gregg said we’re all tripping. This was about two days after Carlos and the percussion had their Mexican standoff. After at the Howard Johnson, things were really crazy with Booker T. They had the whole floor of the Howard Johnson and they never lost the attitude, y’know fighting, Victor Pantoja had a knife pulled on him by Booker T. He wanted to kill Victor. Victor was screaming his head off, he wants to kill someone else, it was crazy.”

Victor Pantoja; “ We used to do Evil Ways with Willie Bobo, Santana did it but we didn’t make a dime. I met Mike Carabello in San Francisco, I love him to death. I played a couple of times with Santana, it was cool, I also played on the Carlos Santana and Buddy Miles Live album.”

Discography
Nat Adderley- Autobiography (1965)
El Chico- Chico Hamilton (1965)
Spanish Grease – Willie Bobo (1965)
Uno Dos Tres – Willie Bobo (1965)
Spellbinder- Gabor Szabo (1966)
Soul Sauce-Cal Tjader (1966)
Further Adventures of Chico-Chico Hamilton (1967)
Do What You Want To Do-Willie Bobo (1968)
Much Les- Les McCann (1969)
Memphis Two-Step-Herbie Mann (1971)
For Those Who Chant – Luis Gasca (1972)
Azteca (1972)
Bluesmith-Jimmy Smith (1972)
Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles Live (1972)
Iapetus- Hadley Caliman (1972)
Malo- (1972)
Pyramid Of The Moon-Azteca (1973)
Betty Davis (1973)
Standard School Broadcast (1973)
Born To Love You. Luis Gasca (1974)
They Say I’m Different-Betty Davis (1974)
Canyon Lady-Joe Henderson (1975)
Montara-Bobby Hutcherson (1975)
Fantasy. Luis Gasca (1976)
Giants (1978)
Hell Of An Act to Follow (1978)
Huracan-Cal Tjader (1978)
Bobo (1979)
Mwandishi Complete Recordings-Herbie Hancock (1994)
Senorita-Malo (1995)
Roots Of Acid Jazz – Cal Tjader (1996)
Blue Movies –Various (1997)
No Dancing Please-Mento Buro (1998)
Blue Bossa-Various (1998)
Ay Califas- Raza Rock of 70’s & 80’s –Various (1978)
Celebracion- Malo 4 CD box (2001)
Crossings-Herbie Hancock Re-issue (2001)
A New Dimension-Willie Bobo (2002)
Santana 3 – 2 x CD (Legacy Edition)

Victor Pantoja

Apologies if any stuff is missing?

Peter and Benjamin Bratt invite you to join them at this year’s SF Carnaval! The brothers, who directed and stared in the recently released film, La Mission, will be the grand marshals for the 2010 Carnaval parade!

We were there in 2009 with cameras rolling. McCarthy had his interview face on. We sat in Jerry Garcia’s favorite dressing room downstairs at the Warfield. And some other places too. And then the bands started playing. But we were hearing the music all day.

Voices of Latin Rock 2009 from Avalon Media Group

The following Excerpts from the ongoing “Journey to an Alien World” (An Autobiography by Mike Coronado) answer the questions and cover the events and times in a chronological order of the pioneer Latin Rock band The Aliens. This article is dedicated to the memory of my late brother William Coronado, and his family.

Background:

……My father, Alfonso Coronado Sr., was a professor in the city of San Miguel, El Salvador. He kept a close eye on the political movement in El Salvador. He had a shortwave radio and listened to the latest news via “Radio Havana Cuba.” After Fidel Castro nationalized all banks and businesses in 1959, my father felt that a civil war in El Salvador was inevitable. He wanted to leave the country, but crippled by a vehicle accident, it became difficult for him to travel to the capital city of San Salvador and pursue permanent residency in the USA. He still kept his teaching schedule, and in the evenings he would spend hours writing letters, and listening to the radio, keeping up with the latest news coming from Cuba. El Salvador had a predilection for communism ever since the 1930s…
…..He was right; it happened. The civil war lasted over ten years and killed more than 700,000 people in a country of roughly three million people. We left El Salvador just in time. We arrived in San Francisco in February 1960 on my twelfth birthday; my father was 77 years old, and my mother Angela was only 36 years old. He had four other sons from his first wife, who had been living in the Bay Area since the 1940s. They sponsored us, and gave us a place to live. My brother William and I were separated for over a year. He went to live with our older brother Carlos in San Jose, and I stayed in the City with our other brother Alfonso Jr. A week after arrival, I had my first job delivering the San Francisco Chronicle. After attending Luther Burbank Junior High, I went to Mission High School.

For William and me, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard – via shortwave radio – were the foreign ambassadors that introduced, and inspired us to American music back in El Salvador. William knew the dial setting for the few American radio stations that played Rock ‘N Roll. Somehow, he knew that someday we would play music together.

It didn’t take long after we were reunited; we started to play music, and to understand the lyrical meaning of the familiar songs we
once had heard back in San Miguel. Music became our “Rosetta Stone” to learn the English language.

William striking an Elvis stance

San Francisco in the early 1960s:

My father couldn’t find any work at all because the mandatory retirement age at the time was 65. He started making a little money doing home tutoring. We moved to Haight Street in San Francisco because it was affordable. Moving there was probably the best exposure William and I had to different life styles and music. Starting on Haight Street, and Fillmore, we would walk through the entire Golden Gate Park, all the way to The Great Highway by the beach, and then walk back on the other side of the street checking out all the action. A ten mile walk full of new wonders.

The scene in the early ‘60s was different; we would stop in front of the coffee houses and from the sidewalk, folk music and poetry filled the air. We didn’t have a grasp of the English language yet, but were in awe of the beat- generation known as the “Beat-Nicks.”

Mike and William in San Francisco

Then around 1965, we witnessed the whole transformation that went from a pure lyrical and dreamlike ambience – possibly through our rose colour innocence – to reefer smoke-permeated sidewalks; defiant youth focused on (besides getting stoned) fundamental social changes, anti-war rallies, folk-rock and psychedelic music, and “Free
Love”; the contradicting world of
peace, sex, drugs, and Rock ‘N Roll.

The “Summer of Love” in 1967 was the beginning of the end for the Haight Street area. There was a mixture of emotions and energy ranging from peaceful demonstrations to militant style protests, and heavier drug use. We were living in two entirely different universes; all within a few years of our arrival. Besides our own Latino culture, we encountered the conservative, intolerant warring America, flanking the social revolution phenomena of the counter-culture, and the arrival of the flower children; “The Hippies.”

Musically, the local rock bands also reflected the changing moods. In the mid 60s, the “San Francisco Sound” – as it would be later called – was unique. On one end were the terpsichorean concert halls where pioneer electric folk-rock bands played. Some would eventually become San Francisco’s rock royalty. These ballrooms became the place where one could hear many bands all in one scented misty evening. The latent new bohemians were about to explode.

On the other side, the “straights” (at least that was the perception) filled the plethora of nightclubs all over the Bay Area. Here, one could still dance the “Hustle” and the “Hully Gully”. For them, these smaller venues provided the right atmosphere.

1962 – THE CA5:

Oscar’s first real drum set

William and I shared a bedroom on Haight St. He had a collection of LP records, an acoustic guitar, and a small reel to reel tape recorder. He pushed me to learn and practice basic guitar chords. Our cousin Oscar Calderon, also from El Salvador, would come over on the weekends. We would grab a few pan covers from my mother’s kitchen to use as cymbals, and folded newspapers to simulate the snare drum.

We would play and record ourselves until Oscar had to go home, or we were told to stop, whichever came first. For fun we used to go to Howard Street, and window shop at the many pawn shops located there. William bought a little amplifier and a cheap electric guitar. We were
kids just messing around, and then we saw The Beatles on TV; that’s when we thought about
forming our own band.

William met two guys from Nicaragua; one could sing the other played guitar. The two guys from Nicaragua that joined the group were Francisco (Frank) Zavala, a known singer and Elvis impersonator back home. The other, Javier Alizaga, played guitar. Javier and I traded playing bass and guitar until Javier settled on the bass.

They joined our trio, and now as a five piece band we started to play private parties, and weddings; we decided to call ourselves “The CA5” (The Central American Five.) The CA5 played every weekend at Gladys Cafe on 24th Street in the heart of the Mission District. Gladys Cafe became The Chinameca restaurant in later years.

At Mission High School, I met a kid in my class who said he also could play the electric guitar; his name was Carlos Santana. We had a couple of classes together, and became friends. I was improving my guitar playing, but Carlos was “supernatural.”

I had wood-shop at school, so I asked my shop teacher if I could strip a bass guitar and paint it. He said OK, and helped me strip it down. In a few days I had painted the bass candy apple red. Carlos noticed my bass, and asked me if I could help him fill in with an after school audition he had for a school function. So after class, we went to the school’s auditorium, I plugged into his amp, and he delicately played an instrumental version of “Harlem Nocturne.” He got the gig, and I was left mesmerized.

I invited Carlos to Gladys Cafe to check out The CA5, and he came a few times. We were packing the place because we played Latin music with a blend of Rock ‘N Roll.

The Aliens:
The Aliens name was coined by a remark made by the owner of a popular San Francisco nightclub who didn’t like the band’s name change from The CA5 to “The Spanish Flies” and said we “looked more like a bunch of aliens”, inferring to illegal immigrants. William overheard the remark, and suggested the name change. The club was The Dragon A Go-Go, and the owner was a successful business man of Asian descent. He felt so proud that we converted his snide remark to naming the band The Aliens; he paid for a huge mural with the band’s name on the exterior wall of his nightclub.

Wild Love

In 1965, The Aliens recorded “Wild Love” and “Come Near” for Stilt Records, owned by professional basketball player and member of The Basketball Hall of Fame, Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain. The band had such a busy schedule that we had no time to promote the 45, or take the time to do more recordings. As it was, William wrote the two original songs on the record two days before we went to the studio. The irony was that the record producer wanted The Aliens to come up with English (UK) sounding songs for the recording to cash in on the popular British Invasion sound and less, or none of the ethnic Latin Rock sound we were known for. We recorded the two songs in a matter of a few hours all in one take. We were surprised that the producer left the “Guiro” (gourd) on the final mix.

By 1966, William, Oscar, and I were all already married, and parents as well. Travelling too far to play was getting harder to do. We had enough local club gigs to make a living, but that also limited any other recording opportunities.

Bimbo's

Later in 1966, The Aliens were playing the lounge at Bimbo’s 365 club in the City. Orchestra leader Xavier Cugat – featuring his beautiful and talented young wife “The Coochie-Coochie Girl” Charo – were playing the main room. At closing time, William, Oscar and I were told to report backstage. We thought we were going to get fired for being under age, or playing too loud. So we were led to the Cugat’s dressing room.

Mr. Cugat told us he liked our sound, and explained that he wanted to add a fresh new sound to his orchestra. He asked us if we wanted to backup Charo, and travel with his big band. William thanked Mr. Cugat for the huge compliment. We talked it over, and began to realize that something special was happening with our band, so politely we refused Mr. Cugat’s offer.
Oscar and I were nineteen years old in 1967; not a problem when we played in places that served food. William, Frank, and Javier were of legal age to play nightclubs. Oscar and I would try to blend in the background behind the three front guys so we wouldn’t get busted. We never did, but came close a few times.

The Aliens at The Bermuda Palms

After The Dragon A Go-Go, The Aliens home base became Marin County on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge at Litchfield’s Bermuda Palms in San Rafael. It was the biggest nightclub north of San Francisco.
At The Bermuda Palms, we introduced the predominantly Anglo audience to Rocking Cumbias, Mambos, and Cha-Chas. We had already merged the Latin sound with the Rock backbeat. The crowd didn’t know many of these tunes, but they liked to dance to the rhythms, so we mixed in a few known cover songs to keep them interested, and dancing.
They had a difficult time requesting the Latin Rock songs, but we already knew what songs they liked by looking at the dance floor. The word spread, and we started attracting a mixed crowd from the nearby Hamilton Air Force Base.

One day at rehearsals, lead singer Frank Zavala introduced us to a guy he knew; they had played music together back in Nicaragua. He was a well known percussionist who had recently arrived in San Francisco. His name was Jose Areas, but went by the name “Chepito,” Spanish for Little Joe. He showed his ability to play percussion, and trumpet.

Jose (Chepito) Areas

He wanted to play the trap drums with us, but we already had Oscar who could play solid Rock and Latin rhythms as opposed to Chepito’s Latin Jazz style.
It wasn’t long until Chepito realized that if he wanted to be in the band, he needed to invest in a set of congas, and timbales, which he did. Chepito improved the sound of the band, and fit the group with his charismatic personality.
Soon after, original bassist Javier Alizaga left the band and went back to college. Bernie Peoples replaced him.
Bernie was an accomplished Rock and Blues bassist, and had played with Wayne “The Harp” Ceballos, and “Aum”. It didn’t take Bernie long before he picked up on the Latin syncopated rhythms, and integrate his own blues/rock bass lines.

On Latin Rock:

William, Javier, Mike, Oscar & Frank Circa, 1965

The Aliens didn’t create Latin Rock, “The Blues” didn’t arrive from England with the British Invasion like many embryonic listeners thought at the time, and the “Hipsters” didn’t invent the electric “Folk-Rock” of the mid 1960s. Music is a dynamic life form, always evolving. The Aliens resuscitated and recharged Latin Rock; we gave our music-genre some gusto, and fed it back to a new audience. Our Central American heritage, the tropical Latin rhythms, and the Elvis style of Rock ‘N Roll helped form our own sound.

After Richie Valens laid the foundation for Latin Rock with his recording of “La Bamba” in 1959, there was a void in Latin music. In the early 1960s, there were songs by Mongo Santamaria “Watermelon Man”, Ray Barretto “El Watusy” and The Sandpipers “Guantanamera” to name a few records that played on the radio.

Other recording bands in the early ‘60s fronted by Latinos had huge hits: “? Mark & The Mysterians “96 Tears”, Los Bravos “Black Is Black”, and Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs “Woolly Bully”.

We included some of these songs in our repertoire, but we added a pinch of Cumbia, a splash of Cha-cha, or a taste of Mambo to the mixture, and when people heard them, they would rush to the dance floors. The exotic rhythms became the base ingredients for The Aliens sound. People never knew what sound would come out next, and to what song it would be applied. The
element of surprise was part of the fun.

Too Latin to be Rock, too Rock to be Latin: In the early 60s when popular music was intertwined with mixtures of Rock and Folk-Blues-R&B-Country-Surfing, together with the onslaught of the British Invasion sound, The Aliens were playing a Latin Rock mixture that first appealed to only a few.

Still, we recognized the value of our heritage and began to hone in and started developing our Latin Rock sound. Accepting who we were forced us to expose our blend of music to younger audiences and become more than just background music at local restaurants.
We developed a distinctive sound, different than any other bands in the area. We could never have predicted how popular it would become. We were a band in the fullest sense of the word. With The Aliens, it wasn’t about the lead singer, the electric guitars, the screaming Hammond organ, the vibes, or the heavy Latin rhythm section; it was about our commitment to the sound and playing the songs.

Mike, Frank and Chipito at The Night Life

At an earlier time, The Aliens tried hard to sound like an Anglo rock band to get gigs, but we all had heavy Hispanic accents, and just couldn’t pass the first impression check. Lead singer Frank Zavala would learn songs phonetically as he had when he impersonated Elvis Presley back in Nicaragua. Frank could sing any style of music, from Elvis to Jose Feliciano to Wilson Picket. He had tremendous vocal range. Bottom line, we weren’t a salsa, or a rock band; we were an interesting mutation.

Even though we had a heavy rock sound, we appeared too straight for the ballroom circle, but not conventional enough for the Latin crowd. We played a few gigs at Cesar’s Club in North Beach, but we were too Rock to really fit in with their established clientele.

By the mid 1960s, the “San Francisco Sound” was getting National attention, and record producers were signing many local bands. Also very important was “the hip look”; the long hair, the Afros, or a combination of all. This was a time when just growing a moustache made a statement. We let our hair grow, but refused to “let it all hang out.”

The Nite Life:

Johnny Cortade, the owner of the San Francisco nightclub “The Nite Life” came to see us and noticed the band’s large following, so he offered us an extended contract to play his club.  The Nite Life soon became our home base for years.  We played five nights a week. On the weekends, the parking lot was jammed, and people lined up outside the club waiting to come in.

Then, in 1968, came the surprising news that Chepito was recording with Carlos Santana’s new group simply named “Santana”. They were playing Latin Rock, and had a big time Rock promoter Bill Graham backing them up. We hadn’t seen Chepito for a while. Months later, he showed up at the Nite Life with a box of Santana’s first album and handed them to the band. I still have mine. Chepito had left The Aliens because he had an opportunity to record, and travel. Santana had an invitation to play Woodstock in New York. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Frank had an older brother Julio. He worked at a car dealership with Cliff Anderson selling cars. So when Chepito left The Aliens in 1968, Julio introduced us to Cliff, who auditioned, and became the band’s new Latin percussionist.

We also missed Chepito’s trumpet fills, so we hired fulltime trumpet player, Roy Murray. Later, both Cliff and Roy would play with the very successful band “Malo.”

Cliff Anderson with The Aliens

After Woodstock, and after the success of Santana’s second album Abraxas, there was now a great demand for Latin Rock bands, and of course, people at the clubs were now requesting “Oye Como Va”, “Evil Ways”, etc.

To the new audience, The Aliens were just another of the many Latin Rock bands that sprouted almost overnight.

Meanwhile, William was back at work adding more vibraphones to go along with the Hammond organ to keep the sound of the band fresh. From the start, The Aliens always had their own sound. We were not a Santana-like band, and Santana didn’t copy The Aliens. Carlos liked the style of music we played, and was inspired by the raw power of The Aliens. The fact that he took Chepito with him was a tribute to our sound.

However, Chepito’s transformation after leaving The Aliens was striking. One night at The Night Life, here comes Chepito styling an Afro that was as wide as he. We tried hard to keep a straight face; with his trendy clothes and big head (literally & figuratively) we recognized that he was well on his way to stardom.

The Bristlecone Orchestra:

It became harder and harder to make a living playing music, so William went to work for Southern Pacific. Oscar worked for private industry in Santa Rosa CA. William and Oscar kept The Aliens going; they went back to the Latin roots, and changed the sound to salsa and Latin jazz. Keyboardist Rudy Luehs joined The Aliens. They opened for Eddie Palmieri, and Cal Tjader when they came to San Francisco.
In 1971, we put The Aliens on hiatus, and the three of us played together with a couple of other local bands. We joined a Latin rock/jazz band called “City” with keyboardist Rudy Luehs, drummer Eddie Anderson, and lead singer Will Staples. The band played a few gigs. After that, we joined forces with guitarist Robert Santiago, and became “Christian Black.” We opened for “Tower of Power” at The Bo-Jangles, and “The Doobie Brothers” at Homer’s Warehouse in Marin County.

Rudy Luehs, Michael Chapman, Mike Coronado, Gus Mora, Oscar Calderon, William Coronado, Jeff (Crow) Palmer, and Will Beachum on drums.

In 1972, the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation offered me a permanent job taking care of a Redwood forest in Sonoma County.

In 1974, I met Michael Chapman, a gifted blues guitar player and song writer. We started playing music together. Our personal and musical cause was to preserve and protect Mother Earth. We needed to add a driving rhythm to our music, so I called William, Oscar, and Rudy to join the band. They came and added the Latin flavour to our new project: The Bristlecone Orchestra named after the Bristlecone Pine, the oldest single living organism on earth. We played mostly original material, and when we added a horn section, the sound was a spacey Latin Rock; kind of Pink Floyd meets Willie Colon.

The Bristlecone Orchestra made a successful run in Northern California during the early ‘70’s. At The Reunion nightclub in San Francisco, known Cuban percussionist Armando Peraza would come and listen to us when we were in town.

The Aliens and Santana

Without Santana’s global success, few people would be interested in The Aliens; the pioneer Latin Rock band who might have influenced Carlos Santana.

Nevertheless, the ensemble of gifted musicians that played with Carlos in Santana: Chepito Areas, Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello, Mike Shrieve, and the late David Brown, brought world attention to Latin music with their interpretation of Latin Rock.

The Aliens should be remembered as innovators who had a positive cultural impact by restoring and transforming Latin Rock for a new generation to identify and retain. People still remember the place and times where that sound started.

William & Oscar

For William, for me, and for Oscar, our failure to make it big in the music industry was a blessing in disguise. The three of us enjoyed fruitful careers while still playing music on the side. We kept very close family relationships, and above all, we managed to keep our sanity. We did what we loved to do, playing music and preserving our loving family unit.

When asked? I sometimes use this palatable analogy: ……The Aliens were like the typical “hole-in-the wall” family run restaurant, serving good and affordable Latin food: we had the recipe, the spices, the ingredients, and the kitchen to put it all together; serving it hot and tasty to our solid clientele.

Santana served it gourmet. And to his credit,
Carlos is still dishing it out.

So, in its own emotional fairness, The Aliens to this day remain a mystery, as it should be. Our disappearance from the scene was as peculiar as our arrival; we rode the musical mother ship as far as she would go; out of fuel, and with heavy hearts, we dispersed.

The Aliens made an indelible impression back in a day; there are still a few folks out there who remember hearing this alien band playing an amalgamated mixture of Latin rhythms and Rock ‘N Roll. Our distinct sound was born out of necessity. Music is the universal language, and in this foreign land where we landed in 1960, music became our passport and communication vehicle while still connected to the chord of our heritage.

Epilogue:

My brother William later moved to St Louis, Missouri and retired to the Bay Area after a 30 year career with Union Pacific. He passed away peacefully in January, 2009 in the company of his family he loved so much.

William, Mike, and Oscar

Oscar is enjoying retirement in Northern California with his family. To this day, Oscar and Rudy Luehs are still performing together.

I spent 36 years taking care of some of California’s most beautiful State parks. I’m playing music for pure enjoyment, recollecting the great times we spent together, and currently writing my memoirs. Someday maybe others will know the impact our sound had in the music history of Latin Rock.

Here is an excerpt from an article by Corry342 at Rock Archeology. Head over there for the rest of the story.

Ghetto Club

Of course, 4742 Mission Street was a building, and a building with a Use Permit for musical performances, so it is no surprise to find out that the club simply changed its name. However, since it changed to a Soul music club, and from there to a Latin (or Latin Soul) club, it dropped off rock historian radar. At the same time, many “ethnic” establishments did not advertise in the mainstream newspapers, so the newspaper research performed by rock historians like me turns up no trace of the club. In fact, however, it turns out that for at least several more years, 4742 Mission Street was The Ghetto Club, and it played an important part in San Francisco music.

I had seen peripheral references before to The Ghetto Club, and gathered that it was a Soul music club. However, I was reading a book called Voices Of Latin Rock, by Jim McCarthy with Ron Santos, about the history of Santana, Malo and Latin Rock music in San Francisco in the 1960s and 70s, and The Ghetto Club plays an important role. I was quite surprised to see an ad for the club in the book, (reproduced above), only to discover that the address was 4742 Mission Street.

Voices Of Latin Rock (published by Hal Leonard 2004) features remarkable research, with hundreds of unique interviews with musicians and friends who are rarely or never participants in typical rock narratives. The book offers an alternative universe to San Francisco music history, with only intermittent appearances from the usual suspects. The book is focused on personal narratives and musical reminiscence, and it is not focused on a careful timeline of people, venues and events (more’s the pity for me). However, it turns out that by 1969 The Ghetto Club was a multi-racial stew of Latin, Soul and Rock, with an apparently diverse crowd, very similar to the Excelsior neighborhood it was located in. A musician named Jose Simon recalls

The Rock Garden was a hard club, real party hardliners. The bouncers were two Samoan guys. They kicked the hell out of anybody trying to kick off in there. The Rock Garden was competition to the Nite Life [another club], and was probably the first rock club in the Mission area [the Excelsior is just South of the Mission District]. They had Big Brother, Janis Joplin, Mongo Santamaria (p.49).

The author ads “Later, the club changed hands and became The Ghetto.” Another musician, Richard Bean, chimes in

The Ghetto was originally a black club. Then the Latin thing started there. Abel And The Prophets were like the house band. Crackin was another band from around that time (p49)

Abel And The Prophets were a Latin-Rock-Soul fusion group, probably playing a lot of cover versions, but in their own style. Abel Sanchez was a young guitarist, who would go on to work with Naked Lunch in 1970 and then Malo in 1971, where he was an integral part of that band’s sound. In 1969, the other happening club was The Nite Life, apparently at 101 Olmstead Street (near San Bruno Avenue), on the other side of McLaren Park, where a band called The Aliens held court with an amazing mixture of funk, Latin and jamming. The Santana Blues Band evolved into Santana, not least by absorbing Chepito Areas from The Aliens.

Armand Peraza

Join an all-star band to dance and celebrate legendary percussionst Armand Peraza’s brithday with Yoshi’s Oakland wirh John Santos and Orestes Vilato on Friday, May 29th and Saturday, May 20th with sets at 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm. Through his long associations with jazz pianist George Shearing, vibraphonist Cal Tjader and guitarist Carlos Santana, Armando Peraza has been internationally known from the 1950s through to the 1990s. Although primarily known as a bongocero and conguero, Peraza is also an innovative and accomplished dancer and composer. Peraza has been featured on classic recordings by Perez Prado, Machito, George Shearing, Charlie Parker, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader and Carlos Santana.

Significantly, and uniquely amongst the great Cuban percussionists, Peraza has for many years been an important socio-political figure, a symbol of Afro-Cuban achievement through his virtuoso musicianship and his refusal to be defeated by racism. His work with Shearing, Tjader and Santana brought him international fame. He has been inducted into the Smithsonian Institution’s Hall of Jazz Legends and has had three official “Armando Peraza Days” by the City of San Francisco.

Armand Perazaleft Cuba for Mexico in 1948 to tend to his sick friend, conga drummer Mongo Santamaria. They subsequently moved to New York City in 1949, where after sitting in with Machito’s big band, Peraza was personally requested by the great Charlie Parker to participate on a record date with Parker, Buddy Rich and many others. He also recorded with Slim Gaillard in New York in November 1949, a session that produced an exemplary virtuoso performance from Peraza on “Bongo City”. He toured the entire U.S. with Slim Gaillard’s band and ended up in San Francisco, where Gaillard owned the famous San Francisco nightclub, Bop City. After a period in Mexico, where he recorded with Perez Prado and also recorded many soundtracks for the Mexican movie industry, he returned to the U.S. and settled in San Francisco, a city of such charm and beauty and where he still lives to this day. While located on the West Coast, he worked with Dizzy Gillespie, Gaillard, toured extensively with Charles Mingus and Dexter Gordon and performed up and down California for the Mexican farm workers with Puerto Rican actor and musician Tony Martinez (who played “Pepino” on the TV show The Real McCoys). Armando also headed up an Afro-Cuban dance review at the Cable Car Village club in San Francisco, attracting a clientele from Hollywood that included Errol Flynn, Marlon Brando and Rita Hayworth.

In 1954, while performing in San Francisco with pianist Dave Brubeck, Peraza met Cal Tjader, who was Brubeck’s drummer at the time. Legendary jazz writer Leonard Feather recommended Armando to Fantasy Records, along with Tjader to record an Afro-Cuban album, which was titled “Ritmo Caliente” and was groundbreaking in its use of Afro-Cuban rhythms with a Jazz sensibility and was followed up in 1957 with “Mas Ritmos Caliente”. During this period, Peraza was introduced to British pianist George Shearing by bassist Al McKibbon. Peraza joined Shearing’s band for the next 12 years and was a collaboration that found Peraza at the forefront of a new wave of popularity for Afro-Cuban music. Shearing’s music is now regarded as “light” in jazz terms, but the rhythms and harmonic structures Peraza introduced to the pianist’s music were unerringly authentic. It was during his time with Shearing that Peraza emerged as a composer, writing and recording twenty-one songs for Shearing, such as “Mambo in Chimes”, “Mambo In Miami”,”Ritmo Africano”, “Armando’s Hideaway”, “This is Africa”, “Estampa Cubana” and many others. These recordings were at the heart of the “mambo craze”, which swept the U.S. and the world and Peraza became highly visible, which was a major achievement for an Afro-Cuban at that time.

Peraza’s extraordinary technique and expressive power as a hand drummer became a feature of Shearing’s performances. He toured the world over with Shearing but it was in America where he experienced persistent and institutionalized racism. An example of this was an incident in Miami during dates with Shearing and Peggy Lee in 1959, Peraza and the other black members of the band were not allowed to stay at the same hotel as the white musicians. Shearing and Lee resolved the situation by threatening to pull out of the performance unless Peraza and the others were “allowed” to stay at their hotel. Shearing was one of the first racially integrated jazz groups, which was groundbreaking in its own right. While with Shearing, Peraza had the distinct opportunity to play with the classical symphonies of Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Oklahoma City. He also participated in two command performances for Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. In 1959, Peraza joined Mongo Santamaria for the classic Mongo album, one of the most important recordings of Afro-Cuban “folklore” music ever. It included conga drummer Francisco Aguabella, another contemporary and friend of Peraza, and “Afro-Blue”, a song that became a jazz standard once John Coltrane had recorded it.

In the early 1960s, Peraza joined Cal Tjader’s band for the next six years. He also was encouraged to perform and record in Southern California by his friend, jazz drummer Shelley Manne. Peraza performed throughout the area at such venues as Shelley’s Manhole (owned by Shelley Manne) and The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach. A highlight was performing with the Stan Kenton Band for the opening of the Hollywood Bowl. Through his friendship with Manne, he was introduced to Judy Garland, who immediately signed Peraza to play in her orchestra for the The Judy Garland Show, a television series that ran from 1963 to 1964. In the fall of 1964, he recorded the seminal LP Soul Sauce with Tjader. The single “Guachi Guaro” won a Grammy Award in 1965 and has recently enjoyed renewed popularity in both the London and Madrid Acid Jazz club scenes.

Although Peraza’s never had a desire, nor welcomed the headache of being a bandleader in his own right and much preferring to be a featured performer, he did record one solo album in 1968. His Wild Thing LP on the Skye label, which was co-owned by Tjader, Gary McFarland and Gábor Szabó, features performances from pianist Chick Corea and Japanese saxophonist Sadao Watanabe and flautist Johnny Pacheco. He had previously been featured as a solo artist on the 1959 album ‘More Drums On Fire’. His performance on conga and bongos on the piece “Artistry In Rhythm” was widely lauded as a standard-setting masterpiece.

Adaptability and an open mind are the hallmarks of Peraza’s approach, so that when Rock music took hold of the business in the late 60s, Armando was the first Afro-Cuban percussionist to add conga drums to a rock track, notably on Harvey Mandel’s Cristo Redentor album in 1968.

In 1972, at the age of 48, Peraza joined the Santana group, which was embarking on its most creative period and helped influence the band in melding the genres of Afro-Cuban, Jazz, Rock and Blues. Peraza remained with Carlos Santana for nearly twenty years and played to millions around the globe, partnering with other outstanding percussionists like Chepito Areas, Mingo Lewis, Raul Rekow and Orestes Vilató. The profile of Afro-Cuban percussion had never been higher. While with the Santana band, Armando wrote and co-authored a total of 16 songs which were recorded by Santana. The best known is probably “Gitano” from the album Amigos and has Peraza singing the lyrics he wrote himself. His jazz-inflected piece “Mandela” was recorded on the ‘Freedom’ album. Santana’s recordings featured many outstanding performances from Peraza, notably his conga solos on “Hannibal” (‘Zebop!’), “Bambele” and “Bambara” (both ‘Viva Santana’), and “Mother Africa” (’Welcome’). John Santos says that Peraza is “perhaps the greatest bongocero in the history of that instrument.”

Now in semi-retirement and living and enjoying life in the San Francisco Bay Area with Josephine, his beloved wife and business partner of over 30 years, Peraza continues to hold workshops and play selective gigs and Jazz festivals around the world. Now in his 80s in 2005 he appeared on a recording by Bay Area musician John Santos. Santos’ “20th Anniversary” set included the piece ‘El Changüí De Peraza’, which highlighted Peraza’s superb bongo playing. He returned to his native Cuba in 2002, his first trip to the island in more than 50 years and plans to return as many times as possible. Armando has a daughter Traci and three grandchildren: Adriel, Jalil and Jehireh.

In July 2006, Peraza, at 82 years of age, made a rare appearance with the Santana Band for a very special three show performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. This was the first of a number of summer live appearances. Later, in August 2006, Peraza appeared at the San José jazz festival in California, sitting in with the Julius Melendez Latin Jazz Ensemble, as well as giving a drum clinics throughout California with Raul Rekow and Karl Perazzo, both currently with Santana. Also in 2006, Peraza recorded with Bay Area pianist Rebeca Mauleon’s album “Descarga en California” (Universal/Pimienta). He also co-wrote a tune on the album titled “Cepeda Forever”, honoring his longtime friend and baseball Hall of Famer Orlando Cepeda.

In January 2007, Peraza received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Voices of Latin Rock. The fabulous tribute show was held at the historic Bimbo’s nightclub in San Francisco, CA and was attended by Carlos Santana, who presented Peraza with a beautiful award. Also attending and performing were members of the group Malo and a reunion of the original Santana band, with Chepito Areas, Mike Carabello,Gregg Rolie and Michael Shrieve.

Biographic information adapted from Wikipedia.org

Yoshi’s is located at Jack London Square in Oakland. Visit www.yoshis.com for ticket information.

Singled Out Classics: Black Magic Woman

02/25/2009 

(antiMusic) We have a very special edition of Singled Out for you today! Legendary rocker Gregg Rolie (founding member, lead singer and keyboards for Santana and Journey) checks in with the inside story of one of Santana’s biggest hits “Black Magic Woman” which Gregg sang lead vocals on. You can hear and see him sing the classic tune on his forthcoming live DVD- more on that later, but right now here is Gregg with the story behind “Black Magic Woman”:

Black Magic Woman is still one my favorite songs to sing and perform even after almost 40 years. It took me about a year to convince the band that we should do this song. It was one I had a passion for and I knew I could sing it. Some songs are made for you and other songs you just sing. This one was made for me. A little known fact is that Mike Shrieve (drummer for Santana) turned me on to Black Magic Woman. He knew I was a big Peter Green fan from his involvement with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers where Peter took Eric Clapton’s place as the lead guitarist and played on the album “Hard Road”. Mike gave me the Fleetwood Mac album with lead guitarist Peter Green and I found Black Magic Woman penned by Peter. It became a #4 Hit for Santana and one of the most recognizable Santana songs for decades to follow. I’m sure glad Mike gave it to me.

Now about that DVD. Here is the official announcement: You’ve heard his voice and keyboards on such classic Santana hits as “Black Magic Woman”, “Evil Ways”, “No One To Depend On”, “Everybody’s Everything” and “Oye Como Va”, now legendary Santana / Journey founding member, and Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Gregg Rolie is preparing to release a DVD of his band in concert at the Sturgis Motorcycle Ralley in 2007. Shot with 17 cameras, the Gregg Rolie Band whip up an exciting memorable performance featuring all the beloved Santana hits, as well as tracks from his 2001 critically acclaimed solo CD ‘Roots’.

Along with preparations for the new DVD release, Gregg Rolie will be featured on the PBS special Trini Lopez Presents The Legends of Latin Music. Filmed at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles last October, the program will be aired in March 2009.

Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, this year Warner Home Video’s will be releasing a Blu-ray and DVD Ultimate Collector’s Edition with high definition picture and sound of ‘Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music’, which will also feature two hours of bonus material, some of it newly-discovered. Much to th e elation of fans worldwide, extra footage of Santana’s historic Woodstock performance will be included. Held at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas on Saturday March 23, along with Santana alumni Michael Shrieve, Gregg will reside on a discussion panel of performers, filmakers and key technicians who helped create the timeless music classic and Oscar winning ‘Best Documentary’ Woodstock.

“The first time I played with Gregg everything just clicked. In a humble way, it was very much like McCartney and Lennon. You know when there’s chemistry there. Drummers came and went; congeros came and went, but his feeling and my feeling…sometimes it was hard to tell who was the needle and who was the thread.” Carlos Santana

Gregg Rolie is responsible for co-founding two phenomenally popular, multi-platinum super groups – Santana and Journey. In 1998, the world class keyboardist/vocalist/producer was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame as part of the original Santana band. Formed in San Francisco in 1969, the multi-cultural ensemble produced three groundbreaking hit albums which yeilded several FM staples. “There’s one unique ability of the band,” Gregg told music critic Ben Fong-Torres, “and that was that it created music that there is no name for… Santana’s music is such a jell of different material that there just is no name for it, and there’s no one that plays it like Santana does.” Departing after the pioneering jazz fusion offering ‘Caravansarai’ in 1972, both band members Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon went on to form quintessential 1980s hit-makers Journey. After co-writing and producing the band’s first 7 albums, along with constant touring, Gregg decided to leave Journey once the hugely successful 1981 live double LP ‘Captured’ was issued. During the ’80s Rolie wrote, produced and played on the Santana albums ‘Shango’ and ‘Freedom’, and released his debut, self-titled 1985 solo album and its 1987 follow-up ‘Gringo’, before co-founding the all-new Journey-esque rock group The Storm at the tail end of the decade. The Storm released two albums: ’92′s eponymous disc that yielded the #13 Billboard Hot 100 hit “I’ve Got A Lot To Learn About Love” and ’96′s ‘Eye Of the Storm’. That same year, Rolie, along with five other original Santana members, formed Abraxas Pool, a spirited collaboration that resulted in the 1997 critically acclaimed album of the same name.

Thirty-five years after Gregg and Carlos met in San Francisco, 2001 marked the release of Rolie’s third solo album ‘Roots’. The first-ever release on Bay-Area based Tower Records’ new proprietary label 33rd Street, ‘Roots’ finds Gregg revisiting the incredible brew of sounds he helped conjure up in the late 60′s. Rolie calls Roots’ twelve original selections “Latin rock plus”; the instrumentation is Latin percussion, with organ, guitar, horns, and lots of great solo work and songwriting”, adding that “I really wanted to go all the way back to my Santana roots”.

The Gregg Rolie Band consists of founding Santana member Michael Carabello on Congas, Adrian Areas (son of original Santana percussionist Jose Chepi to Areas) on Timbales, drummer Ron Wikso (who was also in The Storm), Kurt Griffey on guitars, internationally acclaimed bassist, Chapman Stick artist and Santana alumni Alphonso Johnson and former Jean Luc Ponty keyboardist Wally Minko. “If you are having a good time at anything you do, you are going to do a good job at what you do,” Gregg recently told music critic Jim Harrington. “That’s really where the key to this band is. We really just enjoy each other a tremendous amount and have a lot of fun with this. We will get up to playing about 50 dates a year, and really that’s about all I want to do.” The Gregg Rolie Band will be performing throughout 2009 with tour dates listed on his official website.

For more information: www.GreggRolie.com