Viewed retrospectively from a thirty years' removed vantage point, one can begin to assess the breakup of Santana for what it was, simply the end product of an evolution that had begun in the 1966/67 period and which reflected the fact that individuals within a group do not mature, evolve, or develop at the same pace or, necessarily, in the same direction.

It was entirely reasonable and hardly surprising that one faction within the band wanted to continue with the then status quo, recording more radio-friendly songs in their already unique fashion as well as expanding the music. [Why mess with a good thing?] But, on the other hand, it was no less surprising that others- essentially Carlos and drummer Michael Shrive - would opt for something altogether new, even at the risk of alienating their established following.

By this time, however, Carlos Santana, clearly the most identifiable musical entity and moving force in the band, was dealing with a virtual maelstrom of conflicting emotions and aspirations, all of which put him on a collision course with most of the others. Close friend Michael Shrieve had introduced Carlos to the music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane and the result was that he found himself thrust into a new world he had never imagined with an imperative need to follow. For him, there could be no retreat to past successes that had placed him at the forefront of popular music, notwithstanding the obvious rewards.

Consider, too, that the music of Gabor Szabo, Mongo Santamaria, Charles Lloyd, and John Handy were already out there, further turning his head and whetting his musical appetites. This was a time of Miles Davis and Bitches Brew, Weather Report, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, and the Mahavishnu Orchestra: excitement and change were in the air and Carlos wanted to be part of it.

In addition to all the aforementioned, later in that same year Carlos would follow in the footsteps of fellow guitarists and friends Larry Coryell and John McLaughlin and embrace the teachings of guru Sri Chinmoy. This new spiritual path began a period wherein he renounced much of who and what he had been since Woodstock and began a journey in search of the best that he could become.

With all this as backdrop, Caravanserai should have been an unmitigated disaster, the product of a splintered band going in different directions amidst a host of unresolved issues and conflicts. What it was, however, was a work of unprecedented artistic magnificence, and the first in a series of jazz-influenced albums that would cast Santana in an entirely different light, elevating them to a hitherto unimagined stature and casting them as a band for the ages.

There is still that earthiness and visceral impact of early Santana, primarily represented in the sterling organ work of charter member Gregg Rolie, who along with remarkable guitarist Neal Schon would leave afterwards to eventually form another outstanding musical aggregation, Journey. Despite that imminent split and all its attendant angst, both Rolie and Schon contributed mightily to Caravanserai not surprising- even under those circumstances - considering their outstanding musicianship.

With co-producers Carlos Santana and Michael Shrieve moving the band and its music in a direction that was suffused with jazz overtones, the band's personnel began to change accordingly. In Caravanserai, we are introduced to stellar bassist Doug Rauch who would go on to play a major role in this new Santana incarnation as would keyboardist/composer Tom Coster who even in a cameo role here manages to provide a telling glimpse of the Santana future. With their jazz backgrounds, both Rauch and Coster added immeasurably to the harmonic sophistication of this and future Santana bands.

With the addition of conguero Armando Peraza, Carlos not only found a dear friend and trusted advisor but also elevated beyond question the band's claim to an Afro-Cuban pedigree. Peraza, a veteran of the George Shearing and Cal Tjader bands had long before earned his stripes playing with the likes of Buddy Rich, Charlie Parker, Art Blakey, and Machito as well as with his boyhood compadre Mongo Santamaria. Put quite simply, he was and is an Afro-Cuban musical colossus whose place in the annals of percussion history is secure and altogether deserving of absolute veneration.

There is so much to praise, to delight in, and to wax enthusiastic about in Caravanserai, such is its monumental excellence. The work of timbalero Jose "Chepito" Areas and conguero Mingo Lewis combine with that of Armando Peraza to produce sounds and energy that are absolutely startling and at times astounding (La Fuente Del Ritmo). The pairing of Tom Rutley's acoustic bass alongside Doug Rauch's electric is nothing less than inspired and virtually unprecedented. Every Step of the Way with its blended echoes of Gil Evans and Weather Report is a celebratory bacchanal on the one hand hearkening back to classic Santana while at the same time forging a path to the uncharted areas yet to come.

This album further documents the continued emergence of Michael Shrieve as one of the most important drummers of any kind of music in the last third of the century. His playing on All the Love of the Universe suggests a host of other jazz influences, but what is most remarkable is how he has found a way to make everything swing and feel good even as he introduces a complexity and versatility virtually unheard of in the pop music of that time. Michael recently looked back on the making of Caravanserai and talked about his playing on Song of the Wind:" I was so impressed with the solos that Carlos and Neal took on this and I wanted my playing to reflect that same quality. I remember taking the tapes home and learning their solos so that I could re-do my drum track which had originally been recorded before the guitar solos. I worked all night on that."

Even as it closed the door on a glorious epoch in the band's history, Caravanserai was clearly the signal that even greater and more radical change would follow. Waves Within with its shifting time feel is one clear indicator and Future Primitive ? a truly daring and revelatory piece of music for that and any other time ? is another. And amidst all the new harmonies and expansive excursions, there is the classic Song of the Wind with Carlos, along with Neal Schon, once again celebrating the majesty of romance and the triumph of melody, much as he had done before in Samba Pa Ti.

Love, Devotion, and Surrender, Welcome, Illuminations, and the oft-overlooked Lotus would follow, each building upon and adding to the foundation established in Caravanserai, to constitute one of the most singularly impressive collections in the history of popular music. For many, however, Caravanserai remains the gem of the lot. Who's to disagree?