Legendary rocker makes an appearance during intimate all-star jazz show
Cindy Blackman Santana leads an all-star tribute to Tony Williams, with John Medeski, Vernon Reid and Carlos Santana, at San Francisco Jazz Festival
Cindy Blackman Santana knows how to throw a party.
And she proved it once again as she celebrated the amazing legacy and music of the late great drummer Tony Williams during the 40th annual San Francisco Jazz Festival at the SFJAZZ Center on Wednesday (June 14).
Her star-studded guest list included guitarist Vernon Reid (from Living Colour), organist John Medeski (from Medeski Martin and Wood) and her guitar-legend husband, Carlos Santana.
Yet, the true star of the show was drummer Blackman-Santana herself, which was a highly appropriate — and even expected — turn of events given the fact that we were all gathering together for a tribute to a man who made such incredible music on the drumkit during a career that stretched from the early ’60s until his death at the age of 51 in 1997 in Daly City.
The longtime Bay Area resident, who was born in Chicago, came to fame as a member of Miles Davis’ appropriately nicknamed “Second Great Quintet,” which also featured pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and saxophonist Wayne Shorter.
Yet, this tribute show was focused more strongly on the legendary drummer’s pioneering jazz-fusion outfit — the Tony Williams Lifetime — which featured such talents as bassists Jack Bruce and Ron Carter, guitarists John McLaughlin and Allan Holdsworth, and keyboardists Larry Young and Alan Pasqua during its run from 1969 to 1976. (The group was later known as the New Tony Williams Lifetime.)
Blackman Santana, a former student of Williams, has a long history in paying her respect to her teacher.
In 2010, she released the Tony Williams Lifetime tribute album “Another Lifetime,” featuring guitarists Mike Stern, Fionn O Lochlainn and Reid, saxophonist Joe Lovano, keyboardists Doug Carn, Patrice Rushen and Carlton Holmes, and bassists Benny Rietveld and David Santos.
She’d then form the Lifetime-focused Spectrum Road with Reid, Medeski and legendary Cream bassist Jack Bruce. That supergroup’s 2011 performance at Yoshi’s in Oakland is still being talked about to this day.
Following an enjoyable opening set by Blackman Santana’s own superb band — featuring saxophonist Emilio Modeste, keyboardist Zaccai Curtis, guitarists Aurelien Budynek and David Gilmore guitar and bassist Felix Pastorius — the drummer returned to the stage and proceeded to take the evening to an even higher level.
She was joined by Medeski and Reid, as well as Pastorius on bass, as she opened the second set with a fantastic version of “Vuelta Abajo,” the Williams composition that is a highlight of the second Lifetime album, 1970’s “Turn It Over.”
The music — originally composed over a half-century ago — sounded wildly daring and forward-thinking, mixing jazz and rock in ways that ranged from pure ease to pure rocket science. Medeski, who just a joy to watch onstage, conjured up a spooky haunted house atmosphere from the organ while the rhythm players attacked their instruments in short, repetitive bursts of power that grew more urgent as the song progressed.
Medeski also did incredible work — with his hands quickly fluttering about the keys like two aggravated butterflies — on “Wildlife,” another Williams original that can be found on the 1975 “Believe It” album (credited to the New Tony Williams Lifetime).
Blackman Santana added a bit of vocals to “Where” — a John McLaughlin number from the first Lifetime release, 1969’s “Emergency!” — and then continued to thunder through numerous great moments on the kit.
She also took time to speak with the capacity crowd about her admiration for Williams.
“You can study Tony and you will learn about every great drummer who came before him,” she said. “I thank my mom for sending me to my first Tony Williams show.”
Carlos Santana joined the festivities midway through the second set and combined with Reid to produce some really nice fretboard fireworks. At this point, the troupe was working as a sextet, with saxophonist Emilio Modeste back in the fold.
Unfortunately, the group felt like it was just hitting its stride — and the best might still be to come — when it was apparently time to bring the show to a fairly abrupt halt. As good as Blackman Santana’s own band was during the opening set, I still would have loved to see what the all-star outfit could have done given time more time onstage.
As it stood, however, the gig will still surely go down as one of the true highlights of the 40th annual San Francisco Jazz Festival.
The festival continues through June 18. For more information, visit sfjazz.org.
