Santana - Hymns for Peace: Live at Montreux 2004 (DVD, 2007, 2-Disc Set)

Even if most of the music presented here has a spiritual tone to it, I only wish we'd been treated to more Santana numbers like the rousing "Jingo" on the second disc. There is a heavy jazz influence as you might expect considering the line-up of featured musicians. However, it's not just some great jazz that we're treated to here. Carlos Santana and his band (including their dynamic lead singer) add their distinctive Latin rhythms and vocalists like Angelique Kidjo, Barbara Morrison and others including the large assembled choir singing the closing "Ode To Joy" add some very interesting vocal elements to this concert. And the theme of the concert--Hymns For Peace--is expressed through a coming together not only of musical styles but also the coming together of all different kinds of people.

If you do buy it, look for excellent solo work not only by the "big names" but also by Salvador Santana (the son of Carlos Santana) on piano and by Ravi Coltrane (the son of John Coltrane) on saxaphone. Steve Winwood (for you old hippies) is featured on "Why Can't We Live Together." Overall, I feel I got my monies' worth: two discs running 183 minutes most of which is great uplifting concert music for what I paid is a good buy. In a way it's too bad that Carlos Santana is such a nice guy; the kind of person who is more than willing to share the stage with all these great players at the expense to us of hearing more of his own guitar solos and the fine music of his great band. It cost him a star in my overall rating lol. Still, he did a great job putting this together--thanks. Peace.

I have been a Santana fan for a long time and when I saw part of this group on television I knew I had to own the whole thing.

The concert is very varied featuring all kinds of guests, from Wayne Shorter, Ravi Coltrane and Herbie Hancock to John McGlaughlin and a whole host of others.

The playing is all excellent. For me the only weak spot---and I say this because I am a drummer---was Dennis Chambers' non solo.
He is a perfectly good drummer in ensemble work but when it came to his solo spot he just played time and did a couple of quick runs around the drums.

he should have lsitened to the conga player.

And their version of 'Blowin in the Wind' was the best I ever heard.
A great mix of many musical styles.

This concert is star studded and action packed ....Santana and friends performed genious on stage running the hits back to back...for any jazz lover or rock lover this concert was full circle. I whole heartedly reccomend this DVD
Scott Whaley