The original Santana lineup have recorded nine tracks for their upcoming album, drummer Michael Shrieve has confirmed.
The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame sticksman hooked up with the guitar icon again in 2013 to record fresh material along with guitarist Neal Schon, percussionist Mike Carabello and keyboardist Gregg Rolie for the record. It will be their first together since 1972’s Santana III.
He tells Hit Channel: “We have recorded nine tracks and we are getting together in April for a couple of weeks and we will be able to finish that up as well. I think that it sounds great.
“It’s beautiful. It’s like putting on a pair of old jeans.”
The drummer also says late Santana promoter Bill Graham, who died in 1991, was like a family member who pushed the band to success.
He continues: “It’s immeasurable the value of Bill Graham to Santana. He took us on like a father. He got us at Woodstock and he always loved the band – he was always a music fan of the band. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have been at Woodstock and many other things. He was like a brother to like a father to us. All of us are incredibly grateful to Bill Graham and what he did for the band.”
Along with his work in the reunion, Michael Shrieve’s Spellbinder are working on the follow-up to their 2008 self-titled debut, while he continues to record with Trilion.
Last year, Santana revealed that Schon chased him like a “guided missile” for 18 months to kickstart the reunion. The band have lined up a show at London’s O2 Arena on July 25 in support of 22nd album Corazon which launched in 2014.