Yay Carlos Santana! Congratulations to Carlos Santana for a Lifetime Achievement award at the 2026 Grammy’s. Once asked what performing is to him he said, “Well, this is joy. Joy is not labor or anything like that or a job. It’s more like an offering. You know? And the more you get into it from your heart the less you feel gravity and time and mischief or grief or anything like that. You know? Those things disappear.”

I understand what Carlos is describing I’m not always there Even though I’ve been performing as a solo vocalist now for several years, I’m still learning. At every performance there are periods of time though when I tap into this feeling. It just happens naturally. The flow of the performance carries you along with it, opening the door to improvisation. It’s then when you really feel the magic and joy arrive.— with Dave Austin.

Here’s a link to his 2011 Montreux Jazz Festival performance of Oye Como Va.

A little known fact is that Carlos and his brother Jorge worked at my Dad’s restaurant Tic Tock Drive Ins for a very short stint in the 60’s before the band took off! That’s one degree of separation for me! I used to sell donuts in the bakery in the early mornings there when I was in high school and college..