begins with the legendary philosopher-guitarist asking a simple question: 鈥淒o you believe in magic?鈥�
鈥淢agic. Not tricks 鈥� the flow of grace,鈥� he says.
You may be convinced you do a little less than 90 minutes later by director Rudy Valdez's intimate portrait of a man with a magical ability and a story told with few tricks.
is a traditional linear tale, tracing Santana's formative years in Tijuana, Mexico, his set at Woodstock, his relentless touring and dive into spirituality, climaxing with his triumphant 1999 鈥淪upernatural鈥� album.
It's lovingly told 鈥� and intimate. There is the first known recording of a 19-year-old Santana in 1966 鈥� already a guitar master with a familiar, blistering style 鈥� and one later in life in which he delights his children behind a couch with sock puppets.
But some of the most powerful images are several old homemade clips Santana made himself, alone at home just jamming. It's like hearing the magic flow straight from the source, watching unfiltered genius work while his guitar gently wails.
Valdez uses various images almost like a collage to capture his subject 鈥� talk show clips, old concerts, and newly conducted interviews with the master, one at sundown with the icon beside a fire. The only forced bit is a roundtable of Santana鈥檚 wife and sisters.
A highlight is watching Santana and his band play in the rain during 1982's Concert for the Americas in the Dominican Republic. Other directors might show a short clip and go but Valdez lets it play long, a treat.
We see Santana grow up to a violinist father and a fierce mother, who became mesmerized by the blues-rock of Ray Charles, B.B. King and Little Richard. He was pressing tortillas at a diner in San Francisco in the late 1960s 鈥� 鈥� and go to the Fillmore to listen to the Grateful Dead and Country Joe and the Fish.
After being busted trying to sneak into the legendary venue without paying, impresario Bill Graham was so impressed by this skinny guitarist that he invited him to open for the Who, Steve Miller and Howling Wolf.
At Woodstock 鈥� he and his band wouldn't have their debut album out for months more 鈥� Santana hits the stage very high by accident (Thanks, Jerry Garcia) and says a little prayer: 鈥淕od, I know you鈥檙e here. Please keep me in time and in tune.鈥� Throughout his set, Santana seems to be wrestling the neck of his guitar, which to him resembled a snake.
His first royalty check was spent on a home and a refrigerator for mom, fulfilling a promise. 鈥淚t鈥檚 better than Grammys and Oscars and Heisman trophies. It feels better than anything,鈥� he says in the documentary.
Inevitably, the fall comes, with the drugs and overindulgence. Shocked by the deaths of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, Santana decides he must choose between heroin or spiritual meditation. He picks the latter, dresses in white, eats healthy, turn to jazz and decides to 鈥渟urf the cosmos of imagination.鈥�
With enduring hits like 鈥淥ye Como Va鈥� and 鈥滲lack Magic Woman,鈥� in 1998, the first person of Hispanic heritage to be inducted. But he wasn't done yet. 鈥淭his Earth time is an illusion,鈥� he argues, after all.
鈥淪upernatural,鈥� which arrived in 1999 during a Latin pop explosion, won a total of nine Grammys with such hits as 鈥淪mooth,鈥� 鈥淧ut Your Lights On鈥� and 鈥淢aria Maria." He is called a second-act king. Man, he's a hot one.
Valdez shows real style illustrating that Santana's bands were far from stable when it came to its lineups 鈥� he cleverly shows various different singers belt out the same section of 鈥淏lack Magic Woman" live 鈥� and captures Santana today watching an old concert he did with his late dad. 鈥淗e鈥檚 proud of me and I鈥檓 proud of him. And I miss him,鈥� he tells the camera.
Santana deserves to be on the Mount Rushmore of rock and that's why in so many ways 鈥淐补谤濒辞蝉鈥� is a corrective to the thinking of people like Jann Wenner, co-founder of Rolling Stone, of transcendent rockers, 鈥淭he Masters.鈥� A master is hiding in plain sight.
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鈥淐arlos,鈥� a Sony Pictures Classics release which goes into general release Friday, is rated R for 鈥渓anguage, some drug content and brief nudity.鈥� Running time: 87 minutes. Three stars out of four.
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Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
