I love music memorabilia. I collect tour programs, music pins, posters, signed CD and album covers.
One of my favorite pieces in my collection is the first Santana album signed by the original band members, Carlos Santana, Gregg Rolie, and Michael Shrieve.
I am hoping to get Michael Carabello and Jose “Chepito” Areas to sign this album cover someday.
Michael Carabello has shown up to play unannounced twice at live concerts I have attended. I saw him play with The Steve Miller Band and with Santana in Connecticut. I just didn’t have this album with me those evenings.
Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder is a delightful instrumental album . It grabs your attention immediately with the fast paced opening track, “Pop Raladrao”.
Michael Shrieve
Spellbinder’s cohesive experimental latin jazz forms a symbiotic relationship with the listener. Your musical tastebuds will acquire abundant sensory pleasure. Then be prepared to be transported to an expansive audio gallery.
Joe Doria
Danny Godinez
I enjoy the democratic balance each musician contributes as they take their logical turn weaving a well-constructed audio tapestry.
The band echoes the Miles Davis Electric period at times (“Bridge The Gap”). I hear strong references to Stuff (“I Don’t Believe You”) a New York City-based jazz-funk band active in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
But make no mistake about how Spellbinder has branded its own unique sound. We had the good fortune six years ago to witness Spellbinder live at a club, ToST in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. I was impressed that night with how tight and rhythmic the band played. The maturity that Spellbinder evidences since is well-established throughout the eleven tracks.
Farko Dosumov
If you love jazz-fusion or any form of experimental jazz you owe it yourself to add Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder to your collection.
It’s been an exciting month plus for the original members of Santana and longtime Santana fans.
Texas – March 19
The Santana IV Reunion “Live” commences in stages. Gregg Rolie joins Santana in Corpus Christie, Texas on March 19th. It serves as a dress rehearsal for the Santana Mexico concerts to follow.
Photo Copyright Libby Fabro
Mexico – March
Santana reunion efforts began to further gel when Gregg goes on to perform with Carlos and the Band in Monterrey, MX, Cumbre Tajin Festival and at two special co-headline events with Journey in Guadalajara and Mexico City.
Videos of Gregg Rolie sitting in with Santana performing “Black Magic Woman” begin to surface on YouTube.
Things really get exciting when the original Santana nucleus expands when Journey and Santana co-headline. We see Neal Schon playing guitar with Carlos Santana set against the rhythmic backdrop of the Santana band.
Neal Schon has been the motivator pushing for the Santana reunion. I am thankful that he has been instrumental in driving Santana IV to that goal.
Neal, Gregg and Carlos Santana do the dynamic tracks from Santana III, “Batuka/No One To Depend On”, “Everybody’s Everything”. How cool is that?
Copyright Chad Tasky
The stage is set for completing the Santana IV recording in Las Vegas the next month. Can you say supercharged? I knew that you could 😉
Photo Copyright Libby Fabro
Las Vegas – April 2015
The Santana IV Reunion scene shifts to Las Vegas, Nevada. The composition and recording of the final three tracks for the Santana IV recording enters high gear. The Santana IV recording team and studio musicians assemble at Odds On Records and Studios (Audio Mix House) in Henderson, Nevada. Michael Shrieve and Michael Carabello join Neal, Gregg and Carlos to put down the last tracks for Santana IV. They are joined by Benny Rietveld on bass and Karl Perazzo on percussion. Jim Reitzel, Head Engineer at Tarpan Studios mans the boards, coordinating the sounds Santana IV seeks to make. Jim has worked actively with Santana over the years. He becomes the glue to bond Santana IV together. I wonder if he will also be chiefly responsible for the mixing that follows next?
Photo courtesy of Benny Rietveld via Facebook
Copyright Chad Tasky
Neal Schon has been vocal about Santana IV touring live at some point in the future. Can wait to see Santana IV live!
I wonder what record label Santana IV will be released and distributed by. Who has the rights? SONY, Arista, or Starfish?
My hat is off to Santana IV!
Copyright Chad Tasky
Good things come to those who wait!
Special Mention
We are fortunate to have the camera team of Libby Fabro and Chad Tasky documenting the events. I think Libby Fabro is a photographer for Team Santana. Chad Tasky is a San Francisco based photographer and filmmaker. Chad was a drum tech for Santana for a time. Props to both photographers for being our inside image sources for Santana IV. Your respective photos are superb.
I just placed my pre-order for the Trilon (Michael Shrieve) 12″ white 150 gram vinyl LP. I love Micheal Shrieve’s approach to music. He is an innovative risk taker who has a keen ear for experimentation with sounds and textures.
I also want to complement Beat Hollow Records on how smooth and effortless they made that digital purchase. It was pleasing to the eyes in the transactional design. My compliments to the chefs as they are smart to use Stripe to expedite the online purchase. You can buy this limited edition (collectible) here and get a free audio casette with your purchase. Yes, you read that last sentence correctly an audio casette of Trilon 😉
I am eager to spin the Trilon recording on my turntable when it becomes available in May. I plan to write more about the artists on Trilon in a future music blog post.
Here is a sample of what’s in store for our senses. It’s most cool and original.
Beat Hollow Records
May I say I love the mission of the Beat Hollow Records extended team. I admire where they are focusing their collective energies. I find a microlabel company novel in a mass-market, digital age. It speaks to attention to detail.
Beat Hollow: distance; leave in the -lurch, transcend, surmount; soar (rise)
Beat Hollow Records: A new limited edition vinyl and cassette only microlabel purveying deep electronic, ambient, future jazz and postmodern dubs. Beat Hollow Records will only release limited editions and rarefied special releases. We will offer finely made and carefully cultivated records. We will not offer digital downloads, or CD’s. We simply want to put out music we love, and are inspired by, and want to release it in a meaningful way. To create artifacts, not files to skip over. Human.
I discovered this Santana video from 1970. I like how clear the video is, considering the video segment was filmed 44 years ago. I especially like the percussive interplay between Michael Shrieve (drums) and Jose “Chepito” Areas (timbales). The instrumental “Incident at Neshabur” takes on a new-found significance after watching the Santana band perform.
“Incident at Neshabur” is a studio recording track that can be found on Santana’s second album, Abraxas. A mystical gem in canon of Santana recordings.
I imagine many Santana fans had the perception that the Corazon, Superstar Concert and first All-Spanish Santana Record project had knocked the Santana IV project out of the box.
Well disregard that false perception, the Santana IV project lives and breathes with a deep sense of commitment to the Santana brotherhood.
“When Santana is finished with “Corazon,” he plans to begin work on a fascinating album (especially for those nostalgic about classic rock) with some friends and former bandmates.
“We got together for two days already, with Gregg Rolie, Michael Shrieve, Michael Carabello,” Santana said. “The original Santana, we stopped at three. We are looking forward to this spring and doing Santana IV. After this incredible CD (“Corazon”), I will be with them, totally and absolutely.”
Santana has plans to play Dubai in February, and there are no scheduled dates at House of Blues beyond Feb. 1. Because of his recording commitments, it’s likely the earliest he would be back onstage in Las Vegas would be the fall of 2014.
But whenever it is, the timing and mood will be right. Carlos Santana will make sure of that.”
So with Corazon AND Santana IV in 2014 (And hopefully an East Coast Tour too), Everything Is Coming Our Way!
The last studio recording to feature the major vestiges of the original Santana band was Caravanseraireleased in 1972. The cover of Caravanserai featured a journey into the desert sun.
It is only fitting that the 2013 Santana reunion is a renewed “Journey” of exploration out of the Las Vegas desert.
The Santana fan base and the musicians themselves are pumped about the Santana reunion underway by five of the original Santana members, Carlos Santana, Michael Carabello, Gregg Rolie, Neal Schon, and Michael Shrieve.
The Santana Reunion excitement fuse was lit on August 28th at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms in Las Vegas. Journey was the scheduled act that evening. The magic shifted when the encore segment took place. Out stepped Carlos Santana and Gregg Rollie to settle into a jam with Journey to everyone’s great delight for five minutes. They played an extended version of a Journey song “LaRaza DeSol” and “Gypsy Queen”. The band then launched into the inspiring instrumental “Soul Sacrifice,” immortalized on the Woodstock soundtrack and concert film.
Neal Schon: We also rehearsed for the 2 days I was here in Vegas with Gregg ,Carlos, Michael Shrieve and Michael Carabello. We recorded and wrote and will go in the studio.
Photo: Edison Graff
Michael Shrieve posted this comment and picture on his Facebook page.
Had an amazing time making music this week with Carlos Santana, Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello and Neal Schon. Neal was at a Journey soundcheck when we snapped this photo.
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