Caravanserai cover

Caravanserai

Released

After three hit albums with the Latin-tinged blues-rock band that bore his name, Carlos Santana took a sharp left turn on Caravanserai. In addition to multiple lineup changes, the music shifted from hard rock to gently wafting fusion, and the album was almost entirely instrumental; only three of 10 tracks featured vocals. That left plenty of room for guitar solos and explosive percussion outbursts, of course, and tracks like “Look Up (To See What’s Coming Down),” “All the Love of the Universe” and particularly the nine-minute album closer, “Every Step of the Way” have all the fire and fury of Santana’s earlier material, but with a newfound complexity and expansiveness, including an orchestral arrangement on the latter track by jazz trumpeter Tom Harrell.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
Hot Rats cover

Hot Rats

Frank Zappa
Jazz Is Dead 05: Doug Carn cover

Jazz Is Dead 05: Doug Carn

Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Doug Carn, Adrian Younge
Illusions cover

Illusions

Arthur Blythe
Seven cover

Seven

Cameron Graves
Nuestra cover

Nuestra

La Vida Bohème
Sextant cover

Sextant

Herbie Hancock
Emergency Exit cover

Emergency Exit

Throttle Elevator Music
Glitter Wolf cover

Glitter Wolf

Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom