Are you going to tour with them next year?
Yes, I believe so. I really look forward to that. It’s been so much fun to be back in the room with them. It’s like. . .If you stand back near a woods you can really see the trees emanating oxygen. It’s like that being in the studio with this band. You can hear the music coming out just looking at them. It’s very inspiring.
You also recently reunited with your original percussion player Marcus Malone, who had been living on the streets of Oakland for a very long time. What was that like emotionally to see him again?
It was a peak of emotions. I was with him when Martin Luther King got shot. He was the one who turned me on to John Coltrane. He’s an incredible person that’s very significant in my life. When I saw him my inner-voice was saying, “Go see him and put an envelope of money in his hand.” I won’t tell you how much, but I made sure he was taken care of. I mean, really taken care of. He was living in a container on the street. My heart just went out to him. I’m going to invite him to play on at least two songs with the original Santana. All you can do is offer someone something and it’s up to them to shift course, to update their software. Hopefully he’s in a place where he can be victorious rather than a victim.
It’s a pretty amazing story. I know he left the group in 1969 because he murdered somebody and went to prison for a long time, but it seems to show that nobody is beyond redemption.
Bless you for saying that. I think this is a planet of compassion. It’s like a humongous university and we all major in some subject until we learn it. I’m grateful that he’s alive. I still feel bad for what happened and the people that he hurt. He had to go to San Quentin for what he did. And I can’t bring that person back. I only hope they can see that I’m trying to bring some sort of healing to all parties. Music is a healing force.