'Africa Speaks' To Carlos Santana's Past

When Carlos Santana was asked on this week's Alt.Latino where the new album fits into his legendary career, he compared it to the lamp on the top of the Statue of Liberty: it connects directly to the inspirations of the very first album released 50 years ago. The common denominator, he says, is reflected in the album's title, Africa Speaks.

Earlier this year, the Santana band assembled with Spanish vocalist Buika. in the Shangri La Studios of master producer Rick Rubin to record 49 tracks in ten days.

Just over a month away from his 72nd birthday, Carlos Santana is as busy and creative as ever. In this episode, he talks about the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival, Santana (the debut album released just week later) and the 20th anniversary of Supernatural, the multi-Grammy winning album that introduced the band to yet another generation of listeners.

Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.