Carlos Santana is reuniting his classic 1971 lineup to record and release Santana IV, a new record due out April 15. Brought back from the past are Gregg Rolie (keyboards, lead vocals), Neal Schon (guitar, vocals), Michael Carabello (percussion) and Michael Shrieve (drums), for the first time since Santana III. More recent members of the recording group include Karl Perazzo (percussion) and Benny Rietveld (bass), with a special two-track contribution from legendary vocalist Ronald Isley.

Coming 45 years after Santana III, Santana IV is said to have “16 spellbinding tracks that combined all their signature elements – Afro-Latin rhythms, soaring vocals, electrifying blues-psychedelic guitar solos, and irrepressibly jubilant percussion work – with widescreen hooks and melodies that will lodge themselves in the thicket of listeners’ senses and stay there.” Santana added his thoughts about the LP sessions, saying: “It was magical. We didn’t have to try to force the vibe – it was immense. From there, we then needed to come up with a balance of songs and jams that people would immediately identify as Santana.” This project definitely sounds like one we are excited for. Check out the album art and tracklisting below:

The tracklist for Santana IV goes:
Yambu
Shake It
Anywhere You Want To Go
Fillmore East
Love Makes The World Go Round (Feat: Ronald Isley)
Freedom In Your Mind (Feat: Ronald Isley)
Choo Choo
All Aboard
Suenos
Caminando
Blues Magic
Echizo
Leave Me Alone
You And I
Come as You Are
Forgiveness

Let’s take it back to 1971 and have a listen to Santana III:

In addition to the release of his upcoming album, Santana will be performing at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV periodically, including shows on January 27, 29-31, February 3-6, and May 18, 20-22, 25, 27-29. The guitarist also has shows lined up in Dubai on February 26th and Bangkok on February 29th, as well as sets in Hawaii on March 3rd and 5th.

Finally, Santana will hit a handful of venues on the East Coast, with shows in Washington DC, Verona NY, Upper Darby, PA, and Rama, ON throughout April. Those dates can be seen below:

April 5th – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
April 6th – Washington, DC – Warner Theatre
April 7th – Verona, NY – Turning Stone 
April 9th – Upper Darby, PA – Tower Theatre
April 22nd Rama, ON – Casino Rama

Tickets and more information is available through Santana’s official website.

[H/T JamBase]