The San Francisco Bay Area
rock
scene of the late '60s was one that encouraged radical experimentation and discouraged the type of mindless conformity that's often plagued corporate
. When one considers just how different
Santana
,
Jefferson Airplane
Moby Grape
, and
the Grateful Dead
sounded, it becomes obvious just how much it was encouraged. In the mid-'90s, an album as eclectic as
Abraxas
would be considered a marketing exec's worst nightmare. But at the dawn of the 1970s, this unorthodox mix of
jazz
salsa
blues
proved quite successful. Whether adding
elements to
king
Tito Puente
's
"Oye Como Va,"
embracing instrumental
jazz-rock
on
"Incident at Neshabur"
and
"Samba Pa Ti,"
or tackling moody
blues-rock
Fleetwood Mac
"Black Magic Woman,"
the band keeps things unpredictable yet cohesive. Many of the
albums that came out in the '70s are worth acquiring, but for novices,
is an excellent place to start. ~ Alex Henderson