Carlos Santana Announces Jazz/Rock Supergroup Featuring Marcus Miller

Mega Nova

Carlos Santana has formed a new jazz-rock supergroup called Mega Nova, and it promises to be incredible. The legendary guitarist has recruited an equally legendary band including keyboardist Herbie Hancock, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, drummer Cindy Blackman Santana, and bassist Marcus Miller.

Mega Nova will make their debut during a one-off concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California on August 24th. Of course, improvisation will be at the heart of the performance.

“When you’re an improviser, it’s a really ethereal kind of thing, because you’re not really sure what you’re going to do when you go onstage,” Miller told Rolling Stone. “This is kind of a freaky feeling, to be standing there with 7,000 people waiting for us, and we don’t really know exactly what it is that’s going to happen out there. Imagine that feeling – it’s a huge leap of faith.”

Santana also stated he wants the band to representative of how they want the world to change. “I want to be able to travel with this band eventually, and be the peace ambassadors, which is what Louis Armstrong used to be, and what I would say Bob Marley or John Lennon represented,” he said. “Let me say really clearly: Wayne and Herbie and I and Cindy and Marcus, we are the frequency to do the opposite of Donald Trump. We don’t see walls – we saw the Berlin Wall come down. We’ve been to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and we saw what that stuff is. We play music to bring, once and for all, inclusiveness and family. This is the band.”

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Share your thoughts

  1. Sotirios Zampelis

    I feel like Santana is way out of his ballpark here. I havent seen any recent video of his where his playing is anything but subpar.

    • butch

      my first thought was even though i seen him live five times in the late 80’s eat,………that too bad he has to play in this band now the way he plays now

    • Mike

      Santana is totally out of his league, on prior collaborations such as the Montreux DVD , Shorter had to play down to Santana’s leval, he had the money so he can play with whoever he hires and of course Cindy is always a part of the package.

    • omer

      Santana is the greatest guitar player on the planet……he will rock !

    • Pat

      Hope you realize that Santa was invited by Miles Davis to jam with Miles’ combos on numerous occasion in New York. Miles was a big fan of Santana’s Jazz guitar playing. Miles frequently attended Santa’s concert. I doubt that Hancock and Shorter would play with Santa if he was “way out of his ball kark”

  2. Nathan Josephs

    Huge fan of you all. Tour dates near SF?

  3. Rick Bole

    If you want to be the anti Trump does that mean open borders? Sounds like a very cool project, but I won’t be watching or listening, Carlos. You’ve alienated me quite thoroughly with your half-baked politics.

  4. Martin Miles

    This sounds impressive. too bad they had to tie it to political comments.

  5. WHOOOOOAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    :-D. :-D. :-D
    Nuff tapped.

  6. Peace

    If I remember, Carlos did an album with John Mclaughlin…so maby it is you guys are out of your league.. You should check that album out before you go off on him.. The world we live in many concerts have been given in the name of some political event. If they want to show how they feel about Trump ….I am with Her and them.

  7. Mike Hamer

    To heck with all of the politics! I just want to hear the music! Are any of you really going to let your political agenda prevent you from hearing this? Come on folks! Music has always been bigger than politics!

  8. Mark Gorrin

    I was a huge fan of Santana, bought a bunch of his records and played his music a lot, but he left me behind a long time ago. In my opinion he is too much into himself, he plays licks constantly, even over the singers and for my taste his playing sounds the same for all songs.

    On a personal level he used to preach family values, unity, etc. then he gets a divorce.

    I am also very turned off by artists pushing a political agenda, don’t they realize not all of their fans may agree with what they are selling?

    This will be a great band as long as Carlos sits out and watches.

  9. Wow!
    I have been neglecting my health lately but now I have something for which to look forward. I’ll go back to my workout schedule tomorrow.

  10. mikeb

    Are all the concerts free? With no gates? Open doors? No ticket required? And a free meal for every attendee? And a doctor’s visit? And perhaps, in the spirit of Bob Marley, some good brain-cancer ganja? And an assortment of women to cheat on your wife with in free love? And in the spirit of John Lennon, will concert goers make donations to Irish terrorist front organizations? Where contributors get a photo of the death and violence done to the contributor’s victim? Or will contributors get to send donations to Muslims coming across the southern border to join terror cells?
    Oh what a loving open spirit is this Carlos Santana!

  11. Craig

    In the 80s Santana played excellent blues rock with a Spanish percussing element that was fun. Sadly now live his playing is a hot mess. Herbie, Wayne and Marcus have to be getting huge checks for the tour. It is a complete musical joke. Miles has to be spinning in his grave.

  12. Joseph Edgington

    This will be a tremendous band. Combining the powerful and positive life forces dedicated to the highest ideals will be incredible.

  13. Ron

    Carlos made an album in the late 1980 with Herbie, Wayne, Tony Williams, and others. He also made great jazz-rock albums with John McLaughlin, Alice Coltrane, Flora Purim and her husband Airto Moreira, as well as Tom Coster, Leon Thomas and s host of others, so his jazz cred is fairly solid. One of the best ever jazz-rock albums, in my estimation is Caravansarai. It never grows old. If they can approach that level of beauty with this new project, I’ll be listening. Purify my mind and clean my body…indeed.
    New thoughts
    Will purify my mind
    And clean my body
    New lives
    Will fall together like an endless story

    Hell yeah! (Lighter raised)

  14. shawn

    There is a lot of jazz pedigree in this band. Herbie and Shorter played with the Master himself, Miles Dewy Davis. Bass man Marcus Miller played with the legendary composer and keyboard man, Joe Zawinul assembler of the monster fusion band “Weather Report”. Shorter also played in this band. Santana’s new mate has solid credentials on as a percussionist. Hold on!

  15. Randy

    Play music. Leave the propaganda up to the politicians.