Malo cover

Malo

Released

Did you know Carlos Santana had a younger brother, Jorge, who was also a guitarist? It’s true! His best-known performance was at the Fania All-Stars’ 1973 concert at Yankee Stadium, where he tore it up behind vocalist Cheo Feliciano on the bluesy bolero “El Ratón,” but his band Malo made four albums for Warner Bros. in the early ’70s, of which their self-titled debut is easily the best. Their music combined powerful Latin-tinged hard rock, not unlike the work of Santana, with the Chicano street soul of East L.A. Indeed, tracks like “Pana” and “Café,” with fierce horn charts and rattling timbales, were at times harder and more energetic than Santana’s work, which was drifting toward jazz fusion at the time. And Jorge was a pretty fierce shredder. But they were also capable of gentle ballads; the lilting “Suavecito” was a major hit and can still be heard today wherever lowriders gather.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
Abran Paso! cover

Abran Paso!

Larry Harlow, Ismael Miranda
Music from Siesta cover

Music from Siesta

Marcus Miller, Miles Davis
Lo Mato cover

Lo Mato

Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón
Acid cover

Acid

Ray Barretto
Avalancha cover

Avalancha

Héroes del Silencio
Ali Baba cover

Ali Baba

Louie Ramirez
New Beginning cover

New Beginning

Gabriel Chakarji