Welcome is Santana's Fifth studio recording album; Nothing like Santana I, Abraxas or Santana III; yet a pure state of art (Latin Jazz Rock fusion) musical release.

After his great success in his first 3 releases, Santana begins to discover new musical routes hand in hand with the Great guitarist John Mc Laughlin.

They release this CD hand in hand with "Love, Devotion and surrender".

Back in 1973, both albums were disregarded by most of the radio stations and even by most of Santana fans, who expected a more Latin Rock albums.

Obviously Carlos Santana was deviating from his original Latin Rock roots sound and taking the Jazz Rock fusion path.

Back to "Welcome"; if you are a Santana guitar fan, you will be pleased listening to this album today; it did not age one single minute.

If you are into Jazz, Rock and Fusion, this album would fit as a real Jewel in your musical collection.

Last and not Least; If you like this CD, I believe you would probably enjoy the following releases as well:

1. Love Devotion and Surrender by Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin

2. Caravanserai by Santana

3. Illuminations by Santana

4. Devotion by John McLaughlin

Welcome to the great Jazz Fusion sounds and music; Highly recommended.

This is the first Santana album after Carlos got into his religious/mystic stage. It is quite a departure from other material by the "group", although Carlos does have a number of solo albums along the same lines. It is more of a jazz fusion than the traditional latin beat. There is a duet with John McLaughlin and a cover of a Herbie Hancock number. There are also three excellent jazz flavored songs. Fans of the more traditional Santana music might not appreciate this experimentation into jazz, while the jazz fusion fans might not appreciate the latin rhythms. I found it to be an excellent merger of the two styles.

Of all the recording Santana has made over 35 years. This is his most unique. Carlos went totally conceptual on this. With a totally unique and new band and special guests such as Flora Purim, Airto, Wendy Haas, John McLaughlin and Billy Cobham, Carlos expands greatly upon what he attempted in "Caravanserai". The title track is one of the most poignant and beatiful renditions of the John Coltrane piece. You can't feel this one, you're in trouble. Mother Africa is a percussive, jazzy, wonder of a piece. It features a driving polyrhythmic percussion section, sax solo and beautiful melody. Flame-Sky is a fusion piece with Carlos and John McLaughlin playing off one another much in the way they did in their Love Devotion Surrender collaboration. "Samba De Sausalito" is the most Santana-like of the pieces. Then there is a the stunning "Yours Is The Light" featuring Airto Moreira on percussion and the melliflous crystal clear voice of Flora Purim. Carlos performs one of his most stunning solos on this one. It shows how closely he is listening because he doesn't overplay it but gives the piece exactly what it needs. "When I Look Into Your Eyes" is also an expansive piece featuring a driving beat and Leon Thomas' lead vocal and unusual warbling in background. It works very well. Carlos is very selective as to where and in what pieces he will solo. A very interesting recording. His jazziest. His playing was in top form here.

Welcome gets four, not five, stars for this reason only: it is the second part of what is, in retrospect, a three-album documentation of Carlos Santana's period with the guru Sri Chinmoy. This period began with Caravanserai, followed by Welcome then Borboletta. To appreciate Santana's growth during this period, one must take these three albums together as a single body of work (and Columbia should consider a special release in which they are packaged that way).

The Caravanserai-Welcome-Borboletta triple play was a departure from the initial Santana incarnation that began with Santana's debut (Evil Ways, Jingo, etc.)and ended amid the tension and hard feelings that surrounded the recording of Santana III (Everybody's Everything, No One to Depend On, et. al.). The highlight of that debut period was Abraxas.

But unlike Caravanserai, Welcome and Borboletta (actually 4, 5, and 6 in the complete Santana discography), only one of the early Santana albums are today necessary, and that is, of course, Abraxas.

Not so Caravanserai, Welcome and Borboletta, and though they have never been champions in terms of numbers of albums sold, they collectively represent sustained vision and Santana's best work. Each are vital for those interested in Carlos Santana's career, one that would sputter soon thereafter (the music would flare to molten intensity at times as Amigos and Moonflower would prove). The result was a perplexing and maddening two-decade slump that did not end until the release of Supernatural, finally a full-force achievement in terms of artistic clarity and mature pop music vision.

One wonders if Carlos Santana will ever create as audaciously again.

This album has some of the most obscure, jazz oriented Santana pieces recorded at that time. "Welcome" expands on the Caravanserai directions with a host of new musicians. This album is rich with color, texture and emotion. Michael Shrieve's drumming is spectacular. Although this album may not be for the mainstream Santana fan - it is a masterpiece!