Review Summaries

• The book is framed as a candid autobiography that also works as an engaging read on music history.

Reviews

• Soy Cantante y por supuesto leer biografías de otros músicos es no solo importante sino entretenido y esta no es la excepción. Santana es un legendario músico que te lleva a través de un mundo de vivencias musicales y una visión espiritual que pagina a página te deja enseñanzas para la vida.

• I thought Santana wrote an eloquent memoir on growing up in Tinjuana and emigrating to SF and fitting in to young SF HS with some issues due to race etc. but mostluy the times her writes about are interesting and he writes about how he manages to arrive at his sound which is incredible, spiritual, tronsformative and ulimately life changing when you truly hear this man play you hear a genius of the highest caliber-fee mem reach this level of play and I consider CARLOS, JERRY GARCIA, BOB DYLAN, JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, JOHN COLTRANE, perhaps many others such as Bheethoven and other great copmpopsers but of contemporary musicians the guitarists that played with John McLaughlin including Paco De Lucia, and Al Di Meola, who I saw Carlos plau with in 1975 ub rhe NYC Palladium when I was 15 and Gato Barbieri who necer reached the level of play these players did.....they are avatars...gurus....they are our musical and spiritual teachers, (and healers ) and the level that Santana plays at is truly angelic and beyond words to me-- and this books simply bears out that my views on him are felt by him too-that is he reveres his playing and does so with intention to play and invoke divine action with his guitar not simpl;y play music his intention is to move your soul profoundl---its so great to hear Carlos wordsa about his playing and others as it confirms that his "far out" talk is not talk at all but is truth...he is a spiritual man and his aim is to play music to move the spirit straight up no casual dancing or mood hits here moslty--he is serious about his art as a heart attack! LOL I mean its very important from his end as he sees that his playing is at a level that approaches clearly invoking the divine through music. THe Universal Tone is Carlos Santanas's Stratocaster wailing one pure and pericing sustained note that is most likely aligned to 432 MHZ A THAT IS THE HEART CHAKRA TONE I BELEVE HE often plays on his albums and concerts as as centerinng for ending tone-the univeresal tone-- be it from jINGO, or EUROPA, or even from Smooth---is the note that creates the universe--the first primordial tone that gives life to everything and Santana can tap into that and let your hear it if you loisten clsoely as he is s ature Shaman! See im if you can as if you miss him youve missed a chance to se a master at play! Read his book after you see him a couple times first.

• This is probably the most intriguing, interesting and compelling musician's bio I've read. Carlos' insights into music itself, while unorthodox, is worthy of digestion and the story and characters involved are all wonderfully flawed and real. Very little negativity is shared about personalities and it is clear that Santana has a genuine adoration for Miles Davis and John and Alice Coltrane. His time following a guru sounds almost like a trope from the outside, but from his perspective it is fascinating. This book changed my own perspective on art and music, and as a musician I can only say that this was very much worth the purchase price.

• c'est autobiographie est passionnante, et va bien au-delà de ce que j’espérais. la vie de Carlos est fascinante. je la recommande chaudement.

• I was not sure what to expect. I have always enjoyed the music but I have never been a ravenous Santana phile! This is a great story. Fairly unvarnished for an autobiography. It is long but well put together. I have found the pre fame stories of childhood in mexico fascinating.

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