Malo cover

Malo

Released

Did you know Carlos Santana had a younger brother, Jorge, who was also a guitarist? It’s true! His best-known performance was at the Fania All-Stars’ 1973 concert at Yankee Stadium, where he tore it up behind vocalist Cheo Feliciano on the bluesy bolero “El Ratón,” but his band Malo made four albums for Warner Bros. in the early ’70s, of which their self-titled debut is easily the best. Their music combined powerful Latin-tinged hard rock, not unlike the work of Santana, with the Chicano street soul of East L.A. Indeed, tracks like “Pana” and “Café,” with fierce horn charts and rattling timbales, were at times harder and more energetic than Santana’s work, which was drifting toward jazz fusion at the time. And Jorge was a pretty fierce shredder. But they were also capable of gentle ballads; the lilting “Suavecito” was a major hit and can still be heard today wherever lowriders gather.

Phil Freeman

Suggestions
Open Sesame cover

Open Sesame

Freddie Hubbard
Lo Mato cover

Lo Mato

Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón
El Juicio cover

El Juicio

Willie Colón
Amoroso cover

Amoroso

João Gilberto
Sabor cover

Sabor

Ángel Canales
Lotus cover

Lotus

Santana
Cosa Nuestra cover

Cosa Nuestra

Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón
There Goes the Neighborhood cover

There Goes the Neighborhood

Willie Colón, Mon Rivera
Gozo Poderoso cover

Gozo Poderoso

Aterciopelados