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Cindy Blackman Santana

Cindy Blackman Santana is a virtuoso drummer whose artistry spans the realms of jazz and rock. As a bandleader and as a musician, Cindy is a sound innovator with a passion for pushing creative boundaries and exploring movement and change. She is as known for the nuances and colors she brings to her beats and fills as she is for the sheer power of her soulful playing. “Some drummers act, some react. Some keep time, others create it. Cindy Blackman Santana is among the few who can,” writes Mike Zwerin of the International Herald Tribune.

Cindy has been creating magnificent musical time and space since the beginning of her career as a busking street performer in New York City in the ’80s through the present day, touring the globe and making albums at the top of her game—including the critically acclaimed Another Lifetime (2010). In addition to collaborating onstage and in-studio with her own group—also known as Another Lifetime—she has toured and recorded with artists including Pharoah Sanders, Cassandra Wilson, Bill Laswell, Joss Stone, Joe Henderson, Buckethead, Don Pullen, Hugh Masakela, and Angela Bofill. From 1992 to 2007 and again in 2014 & 2015 she was the drummer in Lenny Kravitz’s band, performing through multiple world tours and hit albums. In 2010, she was part of the all-star line-up performing “Bitches Brew,” a tribute to Miles Davis’ seminal album staged at the San Francisco Jazz Festival and NYC Winter JazzFest.

“I think of playing as controlled freedom, and in jazz, especially, that’s exactly what you have. I love it,” says Cindy. “You know the forms of the songs, but you have the freedom to stretch over them. You want the music to grow and breathe, and you want to invite creativity from all the musicians. As you’re going along, you can change the color, the feel, the mood in different ways, or go off the chart and open it up to something new. Controlled freedom is an incredible discipline requiring a lot of focus. Improvisation like that is art in its highest form.”

More recently, Cindy has become the regular touring drummer for Santana. Having met several years earlier at a festival in Europe while she was touring with Kravitz, Cindy first played with Santana in spring 2010, when drummer Dennis Chambers had a previous commitment. "They have a great band vibe. It's nice to play with people who have grown together, built a sound together, and stayed together," she says. "When that happens, you can create so many different levels of communication. That's what they've done, and I love interacting with it."

Electricity onstage generated chemistry offstage—Carlos proposed to Cindy during a July 2010 concert, and they married in December. Looking ahead, they will collaborate artistically as well, on projects that will no doubt reflect their shared passion for improvisation, and belief in the transcendent nature of music. “To me, music is completely spiritual, it’s the way you connect with your higher self, with the universe,” says Cindy. “It’s also a way to share light with millions of people. They don’t need to speak your language, have your beliefs, or be in the same place you are. The music speaks, it channels good energy, and makes a difference in people’s lives. Carlos and I are both conscious of doing that.”

On her own, Cindy is continuing to develop the heady jazz-rock fusion that she drives so powerfully on 2010’s Another Lifetime. The tour de force album is a tribute to her mentor, the legendary drummer Tony Williams, and features reimagining’s of eight songs from his seminal ’70s group Lifetime, as well as three original tracks by Cindy. In its review, All About Jazz wrote, “Blackman's sonic explorations take jazz-rock beyond where the late drummer envisioned it when he was putting heads to bed with guitarist John McLaughlin, bassist Jack Bruce and organist Larry Young… Jazz-rock as performed by Williams, and now Blackman, is very much alive and well.” The Guardian (U.K.) review called it “a fire breathing session,” adding “the mad-axeman guitar and boneshaking drumming this style invites is certainly present…but Blackman balances it with tonal splashes of abstract color.”

“I loved everything about Tony’s playing. He changed the sound of music several times with different tunings and configurations, and innovated with every limb,” says Cindy, who first met Williams in her teens when he did a clinic at the drum shop near her home in Connecticut. “His attitude and bravado behind the kit were incredible, and his technique was impeccable.” Another Lifetime was recorded on both coasts, with New York sessions featuring Mike Stern, Doug Carn, Joe Lovano, and Benny Reitveld accompanying Cindy, and L.A. sessions including Vernon Reid, Patrice Rushen, and David Santos. Going forward, Cindy is planning to incorporate more of a vocal element into her music.

Cindy remembers first asking for drums when she was three years old—“My mom says I was born hitting things and making rhythms,” she says. She graduated from a toy drum kit at age 7 to her first professional set at age 13, and went on to play in the jazz band, concert band, and orchestra in high school. Cindy was living in New York just a few years later, and took advantage of the abundant opportunities to see legendary drummers perform live, including Art Blakey, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy Cobb, Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Jack Dejonette, and Al Foster among them. Outside of the jazz realm, other greats she admires include Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown), John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), and Mitch Mitchell (Jimi Hendrix).

Her recording career began in the late ’80s, and she has released albums with an acoustic ensemble—the Cindy Blackman Quartet—as well as with her electric outfit. One she cites as among her favorites is 2000’s Works On Canvas. “I like where the band was at that point, our sound was becoming really cohesive,” she says. The review in Jazz Times noted that the album “proceeds like an impressionistic suite in which she not only functions as the main rhythmic engine of the music, but also a magnificent colorist…Works on Canvas is an amazing portrait of one of this generation's most colorful drummers.”

Cindy is currently featured on the Santana/Isley Brothers release Power of Peace, featuring the song “I Remember” which she wrote and sings. In 2016, she connected with fellow drummer and world-class producer Narada Michael Walden (Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin) and together the two have been working on new material. Cindy Blackman Santana will release the new single titled “Fun Party Splash” on Narada Michael Walden’s Tarpan Records in the summer of 2017, and continues to build a body of work and artistic legacy that make her one of the finest drummers, and recording artists of this or any generation.

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Cindy Blackman Santana: Rhythmic And Musical Force

by R.J. DeLuke
August 31, 2023

It's the 1980s in New York City. It's the place to be for musicians looking to make a name for themselves with hopes of finding steady gigs and recording dates. Drummer Cindy Blackman (long before her marriage to Carlos Santana) is there, fresh out of Berklee College of Music. She's there to meet people, get experience and learn as much as she can. But things are tough for most young musicians hoping to follow a dream. She's willing ...

Radio & Podcasts

Dave Weckl, Mike Prigodich, Yellow Jackets and Cindy Blackman Santana

by Len Davis
November 5, 2021

Music from Dave Weckl and Jay Oliver, Yellow Jackets, Mike Prigodich, and Cindy Blackman. Playlist Dave Weckl-Jay Oliver “Apocalypso" from Convergence (Self Produced) 00:00 Jazz Pistols “Three On The Floor" from 3 On The Floor-Live (Lipstick) 08:23 Yellow Jackets “Aha" from Altered State (Heads Up) 16:38 Mike Prigodich “Spanish Swordfight" from A Stitch In Time (Mexican Mocha) 24:56 Cindy Blackman Santana “Velocity" from Give The Drummer Some (Copperline) 33:14 Anthony Jackson-Yiorgos Fakanas “Inner Power" from Interspirit (Abstract Logix) ...

Radio & Podcasts

Cindy Blackman Santana, Ben Wendel, Ellen Andrea Wang, Aaron Burnett and More

by Ludovico Granvassu
November 6, 2020

In the second part of this week's review of new and upcoming releases we focus on new projects by saxophonists Ben Wendel (as leader and sideman of Tom Guarna, Nubya Garcia (revisiting Joe Henderson for the Blue Note Re:imagined project, and as member of Maisha. Also noteworthy the new project of drummers Cindy Blackman Santana (with a guitar dream-duo of Vernon Reid and Carlos Santana), and Antoine Berjeaut as well the new trio by Norwegian bassist Ellen Andrea Wang. To ...

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Live Review

Cindy Blackman's Explorations, Jazz Standard August 18, 2010

by Ernest Barteldes
September 4, 2010

Cindy Blackman's ExplorationsJazz StandardNew York, NYAugust 18, 2010 Cindy Blackman's Explorations' first set on Wednesday, August 18 opened with a very experimental-sounding number dominated by keyboards and drums that switched back and forth into a more traditional format. Linking the tune's two facets was Rashaan Carter's walking bass, which stood apart from the piece's electronic textures. This structure gave saxophonist Antoine Roney plenty of space to freely improvise. Keyboardists Marc Cary and Zaccai Curtis followed ...

331

Album Review

Cindy Blackman: Another Lifetime

Read "Another Lifetime" reviewed by Terrell Kent Holmes

by Terrell Kent Holmes
April 9, 2010

Drummer Cindy Blackman has played with acts from Lenny Kravitz to Joe Henderson but it was Tony Williams, one of the greatest drummers of all time, who was her main influence. Blackman's dynamic Another Lifetime pays tribute to her mentor and friend and is centered primarily on Williams' role as a founding father of jazz-rock fusion. The core quartet of Blackman, organist Doug Carn, electric bassist Benny Rietveld and guitarist Mike Stern interprets songs from the repertoire ...

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Album Review

Cindy Blackman: Another Lifetime

Read "Another Lifetime" reviewed by Jeff Winbush

by Jeff Winbush
March 24, 2010

When Cindy Blackman took an insult from another musician directed toward her and the late, great drum virtuoso Tony Williams, she got even. She decided that the best revenge would not be to snipe back, but instead to put together a band featuring guitarists Mike Stern and Vernon Reid, tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano, and other like-minded souls to recapture the power and glory of Williams' Lifetime band, the seminal group of jazz-rock.

Does everything work to perfection on Another Lifetime? ...

288

Album Review

Cindy Blackman: Another Lifetime

Read "Another Lifetime" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza

by Jerry D'Souza
March 21, 2010

In paying tribute to her friend and mentor Tony Williams through songs and other material associated with him, drummer Cindy Blackman proves that she is not a slavish imitator. Blackman has always been a tasteful drummer. Never obtrusive, she strikes the right combination of dynamics, harmony, and accent. At home both in jazz and rock, this is the perfect vehicle for her.

The moods on this release are varied. The textures on “Vashkar" are thrust into the open ...

Recording

Superstar Drummer & Songwriter Cindy Blackman Santana To Release New Summer Single "Fun, Party, Splash" Feat. Carlos Santana & Produced By Narada Michael Walden

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James
August 19, 2017

The past few months have been a blur for Cindy Blackman Santana, who is currently touring and performing with her husband Carlos Santana, is featured as a vocalist, drummer, and songwriter on Power of Peace, the new Santana/Isley Brothers collaboration, and has been busy touring with her own band and recording tracks in the studio with the legendary producer Narada Michael Walden. Together through Walden's Tarpan Records label they will release the new single “Fun, Party, Splash” featuring Carlos Santana ...
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Interview

NYU Jazz Interview Series: Cindy Blackman

Source: Jazz Online By Joseph Vella
March 17, 2011

We didn't know if Cindy was going to make it to the interview as she was delayed in Europe do to a floating ash cloud that was wreaking havoc from the volcano eruption in Iceland. With flights canceled left and right, Cindy navigated her way home like a pro and arrived at the interview early and energized. Right off the bat, Cindy was warm and friendly. Instantly, she made me, and the audience, feel as if we were old friends, ...
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204

Interview

New Cindy Blackman Interview with Charles Blass (audio) On the Wedding Day of Cindy and Carlos Santana

Source: Charles Blass
December 20, 2010

The following interview with drummer-composer-bandleader-producer Cindy Blackman was conducted on August 28, 2010 in Zürich, Switzerland at the home of her friend, event producer Michaela Fritz. Less than two months' prior, Carlos Santana had proposed to her onstage following a drum solo in Illinois, and she accepted. Today, December 19th is Cindy and Carlos' wedding day, in Maui, and we celebrate the union of two great artists with this previously unheard discussion. Among the topics are: Sonny Sharrock and Alice ...
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330

Performance / Tour

Drummer Cindy Blackman and Her Band, Another Lifetime, Have Upcoming Dates at Blues Alley in Washington, DC and (le) Poisson Rouge in NYC

Source: Two for the Show Media
November 4, 2010

Beginning this week, virtuoso jazz-rock drummer Cindy Blackman will perform a string of East coast dates with her band, Another Lifetime. The itinerary kicks off with four nights of shows—Thursday, November 4 through Saturday, November 7—at Blues Alley in Washington, DC. Next up, Blackman and her band will perform on Wednesday, November 10 at (Le) Poisson Rouge, the multi-media venue founded by musicians on the site of the historic Village Gate in New York City's Greenwich Village. The line up ...
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Recording

Cindy Blackman and Explorations Live at the Jazz Standard/NYC August 17th and 18th, 2010

Source: Two for the Show Media
July 15, 2010

Drummer, Bandleader, & Recording Artist, Cindy Blackman will be performing with her Group, Explorations at The Jazz Standard in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday August 17th and 18th, 2010.

Set Times are 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM

Cindy Blackman's ExplorationsAntoine Roney--tenor saxophone Marc Cary--keyboards Zaccai Curtis--keyboards Rashaan Carter--bass Cindy Blackman--drums

Yes, Cindy Blackman is a great drummer--just ask Pharaoh Sanders, Sam Rivers, Lenny Kravitz, or Joss Stone, to name but a few of the ...
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417

Interview

Lenny Kravitz Drummer Cindy Blackman Honors Jazz Legend Tony Williams

Source: All About Jazz @ Spinner
March 7, 2010

By Tad Hendrickson

Cindy Blackman is best remembered by many up to this point as the badass woman behind the drum kit in Lenny Kravitz's band for many of his classic recordings and videos. Before, during and after the Kravitz gig, however, Blackman has drummed with countless jazz notables and young stars and released an eclectic series of jazz albums -- the latest, her 11th, is 'Another Lifetime.' Here she pays homage to her friend and hero Tony Williams, the ...
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183

Performance / Tour

Drummer Cindy Blackman Pays Homage to Tony Williams at Highline Ballroom on March 10th

Source: Michael Ricci
February 13, 2010

World-Renowned Drummer Cindy Blackman Performs At The Highline Ballroom On March 10 In Support Of Her New Release Another Lifetime On Four Quarters Entertainment Album Pays Tribute To Her Mentor Tony Williams When Tony Williams tragically died at the age of 51 in 1997 in the midst of continuing to speed ahead with new compositional projects, he left in his wake a drummer who counted him an invaluable mentor and close friend whose career has been a testament to Williams' ...
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193

Recording

World-Renowned Drummer Cindy Blackman to Release "Another Lifetime" on Four Quarters Entertainment, February 23

Source: DL Media
January 29, 2010

WORLD-RENOWNED DRUMMER CINDY BLACKMAN TO RELEASE ANOTHER LIFETIME ON FOUR QUARTERS ENTERTAINMENT, FEBRUARY 23

ALBUM PAYS TRIBUTE TO HER MENTOR TONY WILLIAMS Miles Davis called him a “little genius" and “the fire, the creative spark" of his '60s quintet, which arguably featured the best rhythm section jazz has ever known. The rhythmic instigator was Tony Williams-only a teenager when he joined the group-who went on to become one of the greatest drummers-if not the greatest-of all time. When ...
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Performance / Tour

Cindy Blackman Explorations - Live at the Zinc Bar 1/26-27/2010

Source: Two for the Show Media
January 14, 2010

Drummer, Bandleader, & Recording Artist, Cindy Blackman will be performing with her Group, Explorations at The Zinc Bar in New York on January 26th & 27th, 2010. Cindy Blackman Explorations Antoine Roney- saxes Rashaan Carter- bass Zaccai Curris- fender Rhodes Marc Cary - synth Cindy Blackman - drums Cindy Blackman is one of the most creative and versatile drummers on the scene - a complete musician who can shift effortlessly ...
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Performance / Tour

Cindy Blackman's Explorations at the Jazz Standard

Source: Two for the Show Media
January 21, 2009

Drummer, Bandleader, & Recording Artist, Cindy Blackman will be performing with her Group, Explorations at The Jazz Standard in New York on Friday and Saturday February 6th and 7th, 2009. Set Times are 7:30 PM, 9:30 PM, & 11:30PM Cindy Blackman’s Explorations Antoine Roney - tenor & soprano saxophone  Zaccai Curtis - piano   Rashaan Carter - bass  Cindy Blackman – drums Cindy Blackman is one of the most creative and versatile ...
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