In other words, it was a reach to identify with these composers solely because we shared a language. This helped, but the fact is that Latin American art songs have much more in common with the Western musical canon than they do with my experiences and Chicana consciousness. Instead, in my private piano lessons, I would gravitate toward pieces by Spanish or Latin American composers as a sort of “good enough” way to stay in touch with my latinidad. When I was studying music in college, Mexican, Chicano, or Latino music was not part of the curriculum. After all, the first comment claims Santana’s music for a whole country with “VIVA MEXICO!” helping to affirm the feeling that this fan and Carlos are Mexicanos together, across time and place. As I suggested earlier, for Chicanos, Santana’s music has the potential to reflect a sense of ethnic history and culture. The second fan’s comment is all in English and could be Chicano simply based on that-but those are slightly secondary points. In the first comment, the very enthusiastic fan could easily be a Mexico City native, maybe a Chicano wanting to sound like a Chilango –“ERES LO MAXIMO” is not a Chicano Spanish expression. These fans claim Santana both for Mexico and for the world, respectively, because they reflect a strong sense of Mexican or Chicano pride. I highlight these two as sort of placeholders for the idea of how sound and music mighty carry significant meaning toward subject formation in an everyday sense. But, YouTube is full of spontaneous, impassioned, (albeit anonymous) examples like this on any given day. This was a special and high-profile performance so these comments are exceptionally spirited. A quick search on YouTube will lead you to the classic 2000 Grammy Awards Performance of “Smooth” and a wealth of competing claims by fans (and foes) in the comments section.įan 1: “SANTANA ERES LO MAXIMO, VIVA MEXICO!!!!!!!!”įan 2: “Salsa baby, Oye Como Va is universal, Carlos is the man!!!!” For Chicanos, this particular fusion of language and sound might also resonate as something familiar and close to home – if sound can be a home. In part, this is because of the fusion of Spanish and English lyrics with rock, blues, jazz, and Afro-Latin musical styles. Even if you’re not a fan or a music connoisseur, when listening to “Oye Como Va” or “Smooth” it’s easy to recognize a distinct “Latin-ness” about them. The songs “Evil Ways,” “Black Magic Woman,” and “Oye Como Va” from these two albums are on constant rotation on “classic rock” stations well after forty years since they first hit the airwaves. The Santana that produced the self-titled debut album Santana (1969) and Abraxas (1970). This is why I have to ask, is the music of Santana “Chicano” music? And I further wonder, could I be Chicana without Carlos Santana?īefore the Rob Thomas & Carlos Santana collaboration on the Grammy award-winning album Supernatural (1999), before the phenomenon of “Smooth,” there was classic Santana. So Santana can be thought of at once as “puro” Chicano or “classic rock,” except that Santana is a straight up fusion band. Most of their airplay is on mainstream radio, rarely if ever on Spanish-language stations. Yet, for non-Chicanos, Santana still retains their quintessential American rock band status. For Chicanos, identifying with the music of Carlos Santana may have a special meaning that has something to do with a particular Chicano/Mexicano subjectivity. In this sense, Santana is forever part of the Chicano sounded imaginary. I’ve witnessed the effect of the music – maybe you have too – when it comes on the car radio, at backyard family BBQs, and friend’s living room dance floors, the music gets your body up and connects you to your Chicano roots. This happens whether I’m among raza, in the various communities I call home, or whether I find myself feeling very far from Aztlán. But these parts surely do not make up a satisfying the “whole.” There is something else, something about listening to the music that amplifies my sense of identification as a Chicana with other Chicanos and Mexicanos. I could say that I love Santana because I love a soulful electric guitar voice, because I admire the musicianship of the band, because I feel the “sabor” they sing about, because I’ve always loved Santana. And as a fan I never question why I love the music, but I often ask myself what it is specifically about the music that resonates so strongly with me. This may be a given but I have to ask: Why is the music of Carlos Santana considered “Chicano music?”
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