Santana: Soaring, sacred in Tower gig

Between whitewashed singles such as 1999's "Smooth" and Carnivale-like celebrations such as 2014's Corazón, Carlos Santana all but turned from the mix of incendiary psychedelia, free jazz and wild blues that made up his earliest efforts, like 1970's Abraxas. Afro-Cuban yes, but where was the psilocybin-fueled fury and bliss of yore?

Formed in 1966 in San Francisco the first Santana (Carlos with singer/keyboardist Gregg Rolie and conga player Michael Carabello) was as much a soundtrack to that city-by-the-bay's hot summers of love as was the Grateful Dead. Santana was just zestier and more lustful in its passions; not just because of a Latino bloodline, but due to its namesake's spiritual fire. With the newly released Santana IV, the holy Mexican-born guitarist reunited Carabello, drummer Michael Shrieve, Rolie and six-stringer Neal Schon (the latter two of Journey) for a grooving stoned soul picnic and fleeting few live dates.

While Santana and Journey unite for an Allentown gig April 16, the guitarist, his power-jazz drummer (and wife) Cindy Blackman Santana and an expanded Latin rock crew sold out the Tower Theater on Saturday. Buoyed by the ferocity and wiry avant-everything of his past - as well as the relaxed-fit bluesy, roughness of Santana IV - this gig was Carlos' rockiest live, local affair since before Supernatural. It was an insistently soaring, sacred one, too, considering he touted the Tower ("a palace") and heralded loud the virtues of native son John Coltrane in word ("anytime things get fretful, I play Coltrane") and deed.

The Coltrane-infused bit was a nice example of the evening's wares. "Evil Ways" started with its usual spare, Afro-Cubano sensual staccato, only to quickly fill with the energetic guitarist's flits and runs. As the scary track brimmed with a bold brass arrangement (Gil Evans meets Blood Sweat & Tears), Santana introduced clips of Coltrane's pious "A Love Supreme" until turning the back end of "Evil Ways" into a winding Coltrane "Love" fest, aping the saxophonist's majestic ecclesiastical solo, while chanting its title with the rest of his crew. Just for good measure, Santana turned an already psychedelic, jamming "Toussaint L'Ouverture" more mystical with long, gorgeous licks from Stevie Wonder's stuttering "Another Star" and George Harrison's sad, sweet "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." If you were looking for rousing rhythmic complexity, Santana IV participants' percussionist Karl Perazzo and bassist Benny Rietveld - along with Blackman Santana, the fluid, grooving female counterpoint to Tony Williams - knocked the bottom out of everything they grooved upon.