Santana Set To Tour With Mana, Ozomatli

By Gil Kaufman

May 15, 1999 / 12:43 AM

Santana will launch a monthlong tour of U.S. amphitheaters July 29 in Houston. The tour, co-featuring fellow Latin rockers Mana and Ozomatli, will follow the release of Supernatural (June 15), Santana's first new album in seven years.

Currently popular artists contributing to the album include folky hip-hopper Everlast, Fugees members Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean, Rob Thomas of multiplatinum rockers Matchbox 20, and Dave Matthews.

Mana, the Grammy-winning Latin rock act, will be heard on the album track "Corazón Espinado." The band is co-headlining the tour, and they'll join tourmates in nightly end-of-show jam sessions, according to a statement from Mana's publicist. Mana are due to release an MTV Unplugged album June 22.

Tracks on Supernatural include "Love of My Life" (with Matthews), "Da la Yaleo," "Put Your Lights On" (with Everlast), "Migra" and "Maria, Maria" (co-produced and written by Jean).

Hill wrote, produced and provided vocals for "Do You Like the Way?" (which includes backing vocals from rapper Cee-Lo of Goodie Mob) and "God Is" (with backing vocals by R&B singer Caron Wheeler of Soul II Soul).

The first single from the album will be "Smooth," a song co-written and sung by Thomas.

Santana, led by guitarist Carlos Santana, have explored the intersection of blues, rock, psychedelia, jazz, Latin music and African percussion since forming in San Francisco in the mid '60s. The group has released a number of now-classic rock hits over the past three decades, including the songs "Evil Ways," "Black Magic Woman" (RealAudio excerpt) and "Oye Como Va" (RealAudio excerpt).

Santana has been busy lending his signature guitar sound to a number of projects in recent months. In addition to performing on the song "To Zion" (RealAudio excerpt) on Hill's multiplatinum debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and jamming on that song with Hill in concert, Santana recently played with members of the groove-rock band Phish. Phish guitarist Trey Anastasio and keyboardist Page McConnell played a show with Santana at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco last month that also included members of Los Angeles' Ozomatli, whose mix of Latin rhythms and scratching can be heard on such songs as "Cut Chemist Suite" (RealAudio excerpt), from their 1998 self-titled debut.

Santana/Mana tour dates:

July 29-30; Houston, Texas; Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

July 31; San Antonio, Texas; Alamodome

Aug. 1; Dallas, Texas; Starplex Amphitheater

Aug. 3; El Paso, Texas; Don Haskins Center

Aug. 5; Phoenix, Ariz.; America West Arena

Aug. 6; Tucson, Ariz.; Pima County Fairgrounds

Aug. 7-8; Chula Vista, Calif.; Coors Amphitheatre

Aug. 10; Fresno, Calif.; Selland Arena

Aug. 12-13; Anaheim, Calif.; Arrowhead Pond

Aug. 15; San Francisco, Calif.; Shoreline Amphitheatre

Aug. 17; Concord, Calif.; Concord Pavilion