Cindy Blackman Santana Talks To Z-TV About Her Magical Musical Journey

Steve Houk September 22, 2020

0 2 minutes read

For Cindy Blackman Santana, it’s not enough to be one of rock’s top drumming talents of the last 20-plus years, having played with Lenny Kravitz for over a decade, jamming with the likes of Jack Bruce, John Medeski and Angela Bofill, or currently being behind the skins for her husband Carlos’ legendary band, Santana.

No, Cindy has always wanted more, so after three years in the works, she has just released her latest solo record Give The Drummer Some, which highlights Cindy’s incredible versatility both behind the drum kit and in front of the microphone and features the creme de la creme of guitarists, including eight songs with her husband and rock icon, two songs with the legendary John McLaughlin, three songs with Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, and one song with Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. With multiple tracks produced by Grammy Award-winning Narada Michael Walden, the album is an eclectic mixture of old school funk and radio-friendly rock/pop combined with rock and jazz instrumentals. And not only did she write nearly all of the multi-genre swath of new songs on her new record, she does something she has rarely done in her career: she sings lead on several songs, including a funky cool version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” which received kudos from none other than Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono.

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“I’m so happy that it’s going to be released,” Cindy says of her new record. “It took three years because we were on the road, we’d go away and come back, and the people I wanted on the record had their own commitments. And the record was ever evolving as well. But I am so thrilled it’s finally coming out.” The record was released on September 18th and can be ordered at https://cindyblackmansantana.com/

Join Living On Music‘s Steve Houk this Monday night at 7pm for an in-depth interview with Cindy where she talks about her life amidst the pandemic, how her and her husband Carlos have been quarantining in Hawaii, what was behind the many genres on her solo record, and what is was like to sing after years of keeping that on the back burner. Go to this link here and click GET REMINDER so you will get pinged on the night of the show: https://www.facebook.com/TheZebraPress/posts/3307308179308014

Cindy with husband Carlos Santana (courtesy Cindy Blackman Santana)

Cindy is a fabulously talented dynamo in so many ways, and this Monday, she talks about her musical passions and influences and her many aspirations. Here, check out a song from her new album, featuring her husband Carlos Santana.