In a trailer for the new documentary Carlos, guitarist Carlos Santana connects with the spiritual and supernatural elements of music that have kept him going for five decades. The new documentary from Sony Picture Classics and Trafalgar Releasing premieres in theaters across the country on September 29th.
“Do you believe in magic?” Santana asks in the brief clip. “Magic is when you command the elements to capture people’s hearts.”
Director Rudy Valdez (The Sentence, We Are: The Brooklyn Saints) traces Santana’s roots in the Bay Area music scene to becoming a globally recognized, ten-time Grammy winner. Instrumental to Santana’s entry to psychedelic counterculture rising out of San Francisco was rock impresario Bill Graham, who makes an appearance via archival footage in the trailer along with Jerry Garcia, Joe Cocker, and other ’60s greats.
“Bill Graham came to me, and he said, ‘You’re gonna open up for The Who, Steve Miller, and Howlin’ Wolf,” Santana still recalls with awe half a century later.
Santana appears in new interviews throughout the film, alongside his family, Columbia Records magnate Clive Davis, Matchbox 20 singer Rob Thomas, and others. The film also pulls previously unreleased archival footage from throughout Santana’s illustrious career.
“The electric documentary Carlos utilizes new interviews with Santana and his family alongside extraordinary, never-before-seen archival footage — including home video recordings Santana himself made; concert footage; and behind-the-scenes moments — as two-time Emmy-winning director Rudy Valdez creates an intimate, rich documentary about a man whose sound casts a spell on fans who love — as one of Santana’s famous titles says— ‘how his rhythm goes,’” a synopsis for the film states.
Check out the first look at the new Carlos Santana documentary below. Limited premieres will take place September 23rd, 24th, and 27th ahead of the wide release. Find tickets and local screenings here.
Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere | Official Trailer
