The latest installment in the Tone Center tribute collection is Viva Carlos! A Spiritual Marathon Celebration, put together to honor none other than Carlos Santana. The core band this time around is keyboard player Peter Wolf, drummer Dave Weckl, bassist Abraham Laborial, guitarist Jeff Richman, and percussionist/vocalist Luis Conte. As is usually the case with these tribute albums, Tone Center has gathered a star-studded list of shredders from the jazz, blues, and rock world to each tackle a song from the legendary axe-man the album pays tribute to. UFO's Vinnie Moore adds some stunning and emotional leads to "Se a Cabo", while house band member Richman really hits the mark on one of Santana's endearing favorites "Europa". Fiery blues rocker Eric Gales puts together one of the CD's most explosive performances on "Jingo", as does blues legend Coco Montoya on "Jungle Strut". Honestly, these two tracks are worth the price of admission along. Other worthwhile cuts include Eric Johnson's smooth take on "Aqua Marine", and Pat Martino's traditional jazz melodies added to "Flor d'Luna (Moonflower)".
Most of the other tunes are a good listen, but don't quite work on the same level. Mike Sterns jazz chops are awesome on "Oye Como Va", but his style just doesn't seem to fit with the Latin grooves here, nor does Albert Lee's country rock pickin' on "Samba Pa Ti". It's not that the performances of these players is poor, on the contrary, but it just sounds like a strange fit. The same can be said for Frank Gambale's contribution to "Samba de Sausalito"-he's a wonderful player, but his silky smooth flights here just sound a tad too safe and lacking fire, as does Robben Ford's work on "Blues for Salvador". The playing is tasty, but is lacking that extra bite that Santana always brings to the table. Overall that's the problem with a good portion of this release, there's just not enough fire and emotion on some of the pieces, from both the guest soloists and the core band, which is something that really needed to be captured to really make this work. There are moments, but just not enough here on a consistent basis. If you like tasty guitar work though, definitely check it out.
Track Listing
1. Se a Cabo - Vinnie Moore
2. Europa (Earths Cry Heavens Smile) - Jeff Richman
3. Jingo - Eric Gales
4. Oye Como Va - Mike Stern
5. Flor d'Luna (Moonflower) - Pat Martino
6. Aqua Marine -Eric Johnson
7. Samba de Sausalito - Frank Gambale
8. Blues for Salvador - Robben Ford
9. Samba Pa Ti -Albert Lee
10. Jungle Strut - Coco Montoya
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