Modern Guitar Magazine has a great interview with Carlos Santana right here. Although I'm not the greatest fan of Santana, I sure as hell can appreciate who he is and what he has done. I also find him to be a great interview, and an inspirational speaker. He also never lets his accomplishments over shadow in genuine spirit and passion for music. Take this quote for example about working with other people:

Well, I’m really happy to tell you that they trust me. So, when I invite them to the studio we kind of know what color we’re going to paint the house. Of course, I send them CDs so when we go into the studio they know what they’re getting into but it’s like we know where the heart’s center is. We don’t need to jam so much. We just turn on the lights and make sure the sound is ok and we go for it. It’s not painting by numbers, you know? Basically, we close our eyes and we say, “This is your buffet, have fun eating. [And to another player] this is your buffet, have fun eating, and this is my buffet.”

In the studio, later on when they leave, I might just condense things, edit like a story. And since it’s my album, of course I’ll take a little longer solo. [Laughs] On their album they can take a longer solo. [Laughs] I mean, it’s just practical stuff. It’s like that. Whether it’s Stephen Stills or Jeff Beck, when it’s your own album everybody expects you’re going to take a little longer solo – this is your album, right? It’s not bad, just practical.

I really wish more artists would have this honest approach. With the new coming of the "Guitar God", the new found interest in guitarists and flash and flair, particularly in harder music, modesty and an acknowledgement on where you have come from and who you stand with is seriously missing.

Take a lesson from Carlos and read the interview. It's fantastic.

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