Santana And A Few - Its A Blues Compilation 202... -

A lesser-known instrumental gem—pure, aching blues with a Latin sunrise.

Though never charting, "Santana and A Few – It's a Blues Compilation" has gained a passionate cult following. On YouTube, a user-uploaded version of "Well All Right" (track 7) has over 1.2 million views. Critics who discovered the bootleg via file-sharing sites have called it "the blues album Santana never officially made but always had in his bones." Santana and A Few - Its a Blues Compilation 202...

If the blues is the root, then Santana is the blazing branch that reaches into Latin soul, rock, and psychedelic fire. The compilation (c. early 2020s) brings together the unmistakable guitar voice of Carlos Santana alongside a handful of masterful blues artists—creating a journey through slow burns, funky shuffles, and emotional solos that bend time. A lesser-known instrumental gem—pure, aching blues with a

Santana has also appeared in several films and documentaries, including "The Woodstock Experience" (2000) and "Santana: Live at the Fillmore 1968" (2019). Critics who discovered the bootleg via file-sharing sites

What makes this compilation stand out from standard Santana albums is its deliberate stripping away of polyrhythmic percussion. Gone are the conga layers and timbale rolls. In their place: a straight-ahead, 4/4 blues pocket, anchored by a walking bass and snarling guitar.

"It's a Blues Compilation" supposedly gathers recordings from 1968–1974, a period when Santana was simultaneously conquering Woodstock and jamming in San Francisco blues clubs under names like the Santana Blues Band. The "and a Few" refers to guest appearances by keyboardist Gregg Rolie, harmonica virtuoso Charlie Musselwhite, and even a live duet with B.B. King from a 1972 radio broadcast.