Salvador Santana Band (SSB)

Keyboardist and composer Salvador Santana's vibrant music mixes hip-hop, jazz, rock, Latin and other world idioms into a uniquely individual and totally contemporary style. He likes to call the richly textured grooves he creates with the Salvador Santana Band, "a new blend, a sound reinvented." Salvador explains, "It's a mix of all my favorite music, the best of what's impacted my life, all coming together in a new genre."Citing mentors including Bob Marley, Thelonius Monk, McCoy Tyner, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Cobham, John Coltrane and Miles Davis, Santana adds relevant lyrics and hip-hop flavor to a fusion of those masterful influences. He further singles out the Minneapolis-bred group Atmosphere as a force that's sparked ideas for words and music. Their free-spirited, poetic hip-hop and positive vibe are elements that indeed resonate in the SSB's energetic flow.Salvador Santana's artistic chops are also, of course, colored by-and a continuation of-his family's awesome legacy. Salvador's maternal grandfather was African-American blues pioneer, tenor and guitar legend Saunders King, his paternal grandfather is celebrated violinist and mariachi bandleader Jose Santana, and his father is 10X GRAMMY®-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana. Salvador's lyrics and inspired spoken word poetry reflect the gift for writing he shares with his mother, Deborah Santana, whose first book, the memoir Space Between The Stars, was published in 2005. The audio book version of the title features music that Salvador and Carlos composed together; previously, they collaborated on composing the GRAMMY-winning track "El Farol" from the smash 1999 Santana album Supernatural."I always dreamt of being a musician," says Salvador, who experimented with guitar, but found his calling on piano and keyboards. "I'm honored to be a part of what my family has created, and to carry the torch a few laps around the course myself." On the lyrical end, he says, "Sometimes it's even more intimidating following in my mom's footsteps, because she's such an incredible writer, and I have less experience with that than I do with music. But poetry is an escape for me, I love it."Born and still based in Northern California, Salvador attended high school at San Francisco's acclaimed School of the Arts, where he artistically connected with SSB bassist Emerson Cardenas. "He was at San Francisco State at the time," says Sal, "which shared our campus, and his jazz band would come to play for us." Salvador went on to major in the Musical Arts Program at Cal Arts in Valencia, CA. He broadened his experience with classes in Javanese gavelan, African drums and more, but kept his emphasis on keyboards. The other musicians he met and jammed with at Cal Arts shaped Salvador's unending passion for playing live-"I admire it so much when someone is totally having fun onstage, when it looks like they wouldn't want to be anywhere in the world but there at that moment."The Salvador Santana Band initially came together in early 2004, and one of their first gigs was opening for Carlos and the Santana Band at San Francisco's famed Warfield Theater. It went so well that they hit the road to tour Europe with Santana that summer, an experience that was an amazing high for the entire band. Featuring Salvador on keyboards and vocals, SSB has undergone minor personnel changes since then and now sounds stronger than ever. Most recently, modern rock/soul/progressive artist Will Champlin signed on as lead vocalist and backup keyboardist. The son of Bill Champlin, founder of legendary SF-based band the Sons Of Champlin (and part of Chicago since '81), Will - like Salvador - is a contemporary link to the Bay Area's rich musical heritage. SSB's current line-up also features bassist Emerson Cardenas, guitarist Matt Heulitt, drummer Tony Austin (who also plays with Solomon Burke) and former Ozomatli player Jose "Crunchy" Espinosa on sax, flute, percussion and vocals.SSB regularly gigs at the Bay Area's hottest music venues, and they have toured with acts including Ozomatli and Los Lonely Boys. Summer 2006 marked second time they toured Europe with Carlos Santana and the Santana Band, and they continue on as opener for Santana's east coast U.S. dates in September. There are also east and west coast SSB club dates coming up, as well as shows with Rusted Root and Los Lonely Boys.On record, the SSB's dynamic sound can be heard on their acclaimed five-song demo/EP (available through www.salvadorsantana.com), featuring three new songs plus two bold reworks of Billy Cobham compositions. Reinvented as the SSB's "Simple Story Of Love," Cobham's "To The Woman" is a luminous arc of jazzy grooves and silken vocals, and his classic "Hip Pockets" is reincarnated as "SSB," a compelling hip-hop serenade. Originals featured are the hip-hop stand-out "We Rock Da Mike," "Another Rainy Day" and the sublime, instrumental "Electric Moon," radiant with Salvador's powerful solos. Calling the disc, "A sassy mix of jazz, hip-hop and urbanized R&B," CDbaby.com added, "This is the kind of hybrid that is so easy to drink up and soak in--it goes down so smoothly. With a special talent for layering in the thick, luscious harmonies, this group's self-titled release is one to give a spin."Salvador's soulful music can also be experienced through "Open Up Your Eyes," a track he recently wrote and performed with Carlos Santana for the compilation CD Food For Thought, a benefit for the Milagro Foundation. Based in San Rafael and founded by Carlos and Deborah Santana in 1998, Milagro has given more than $2 million to charities and agencies supporting children and youth in areas of health, education and the arts.Currently, Salvador is developing material for a new SSB album slated for release by early 2007. He has been co-writing songs with Santana's Andy Vargas, Asdru Sierra of Ozomatli and members of B-Side Players, among others. And, whenever possible, he'll be interacting with club and concert audiences, leading the SSB through their dynamic sets. “I love to play live,” he says. “Being onstage is an incredible adrenaline rush, indescribable--almost euphoric. In front of all those people, I feel that my awareness is broadened, and it’s where I can be at my best. It helps me grow as a musician, and as a person. There is nowhere I’d rather be. Just put a piano in front of me and I’ll be fine.”