Caravanserai - SANTANA****

Eternal Caravan Of Reincarnation/Waves Within/Look Up (To See What's Coming Down)/Just In Time To See The Sun/Song Of The Wind/All The Love Of The Universe/Future Primitive/Stone Flower/La Fuente Del Ritmo/Every Step Of The Way

Caravanserai successfully heralded a change of direction for Santana with less of the previous Latin beat and the incorporation of jazz fusion into their sound. (US:8 UK:6)

“Caravanserai is everything the title is prone to evoke: It’s slightly kitschy oriental romanticism, but it’s also a seductive, mysterious and musically extremely compelling journey. Musically, this is Santana at their very best. Their strengths are combined to effortlessly create classic moments of jazz fusion while never leaving the rock foundation. It’s truly a straight jazz-rock classic.”

“This was a drastic departure from what the band had done before. Caravanserai was one of the first rock band forays into jazz fusion. The songs are almost invariably amazing Latin infused jazz fusion jams and are utterly fantastic, and the album forms a wonderfully perfect whole.”

“While the music style is in many ways comparable to the three first there are big differences too and Caravanserai can be seen as a turning point in the group's career. Many elements are still present and the very eclectic nature of the music is intact. Influences from jazz, fusion, Latin

“Caravanserai represents Santana's finest moment, even considering his superb first two albums. His jazz/rock fusion becomes largely dominated by jazz here, with less of the raw Latin beat and sound, although these are present in more refined form. The jazz is modern, fairly often fast-paced and hard driving, and very rhythmic and melodic. Santana delivers a tour de force, a work of compelling beauty, and one of my all-time favourite recordings.”

“A confident step into fusion territory, Caravanserai does not jettison the salsa and psychedelic rock influences of previous Santana but it does amp up the jazz component of the band's music sharply, as well as putting a strong emphasis on the role of percussion in the group's composition.”