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
Moon Rappin' cover

Moon Rappin'

Jack McDuff
Pangaea cover

Pangaea

Miles Davis
Agharta cover

Agharta

Miles Davis
Tutu cover

Tutu

Miles Davis
Disrespectful cover

Disrespectful

Tim Lefebvre, JZ Replacement
Decoy cover

Decoy

Miles Davis
Under the Sun cover

Under the Sun

Human Arts Ensemble
Shuffle and Deal cover

Shuffle and Deal

Eddie Henderson
Suite for Max Brown cover

Suite for Max Brown

The New Breed, Jeff Parker