SantanaDivine LightReview

A couple of years ago producer Bill Laswell caused outrage and delight in equal measure when he did the unthinkable and remixed 1970s Miles Davis for his Panthalassa project. Once again, Columbia have given Bill a set of keys to their archives and this time he's turned his attention to Carlos Santana. No "Black Magic Woman" here though; Laswell has gone for arguably the two most left field items in Santana's back catalogue and those that were most informed by his interest in Eastern spirituality, Illuminations (1974) and Love Devotion and Surrender (1973).

Both of these records were an explicit acknowledgement of Santana's love of (and debt to) John Coltrane; Illuminations was recorded in collaboration with John's widow, Alice, and pitched Santana's trademark ecstatic guitar stylings over a widescreen exotica backdrop of lush strings, rippling harps and sitar drones. Love Devotion and Surrender paired Carlos with Mahavishnu Orchestra leader John Mclaughlin; generally a much heavier affair, it was a tribute to both Coltrane and Shri Chinmoy, guru to both guitarists. Laswell's 'reconstruction and mix translation' has filled out the sound and upped the atmospherics but as on Panthalassa, he's resisted the urge to mess with the original material too much. The result is both a vindication of his approach and a resounding testament to the beauty and power of the music.

The whole of Illuminations appears on Divine Light; "Angel of Air" sets the tone for much of what's to follow with Santana's characteristic sustained lines and blisssful cascading runs weaving their way through massed blocks of strings. It's no New Age Wholefood whimsy though - "Angel of Sunlight" turns up the heat with Dave Holland's propulsive bass locking with tablas and Jack de Johnette's kit drums to provide a platform for some of Santana's most exploratory playing. Four tracks appear from Love Devotion and Surrender; Mclaughlin and Santana's rework of 'A Love Supreme' has been heavily edited, turning it from a flailing, desperate attempt at transcendence through speed guitar heroics to a purposeful homage, while 'The Life Divine' has been given Laswell's Cinemascope treatment to transform it into one of the most blissful slices of prog fusion ever. Coltrane's 'Naima' is a tender, affecting acoustic duet by our heroes. Corny as it may seem, this is deeply spiritual stuff. Laswell's resurrection of these two albums is a thing to be treasured, and lasting proof that there's no place like Om.