A review by backonthealex
Carlos Santana: Sound of the Heart, Song of the World by Gary Golio

4.0

Born in 1947, in a small Mexican village, Carlos Santana was surrounded with music from the very beginning. His father was a mariachi player, traveling around Mexico, gone for months at a time. When home, he taught Carlos how to read music and play the violin. Papa was Carlos' musical hero but once he heard American blues on the radio, Carlos was hooked, much to his father's dismay. American blues played by musicians like Muddy Waters and B.B. King became Carlos' new musical heroes and he longed to play the blues on a electric guitar. It was the first time music really spoke to him and made him feel alive. When his father finally gave in and got a used electric guitar for him, Carlos began to finally play the music that he had always heard inside himself - a wonderful mixture of Mexican music and American blues and jazz. As much as I have always loved the music of Carlos Santana, I didn't really know anything about him. For that reason alone, I found this biography very interesting. And while the text is pretty child-friendly, detailed and straightforward, it is through the wildly colorful illustrations that one feels what was in Carlos Santana's heart all along. The illustrations evoke a strong sense of Mexico and the blues with a mix of 1960s psychedelic, paying homage to the influences of Carlos Santana's particular sound. Back matter is included.