Carlos Santana marks his 50th musical anniversary in 2019 -- but his focus is on new projects, not nostaliga.
He'll release the EP Mona Lisa on January 25th, and a new album made with producer Rick Rubin closer to summer. He tells Billboard, "A lot of musicians, for whatever reason, they get stuck in a jukebox from the '60s or '70s or '80s... I call it regurgitation nostalgia, and I don't want to be there."
Carlos claims his band recorded 49 songs for the still-untitled album in just 10 days -- with almost all cut in just one take.
There might be a few concessions to history -- he'll do a show for Woodstock promoter Michael Lang, if he finds a location to mark its 50th anniversary. And he might consider a full-album show, doing Supernatural front to back.
But Santana prefers the example set by jazz greats Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock "to keep moving and keep discovering. Yes, honor those [old] songs because people do come to see you, but make them fresh... Move on into the next level."
Santana is also helping guide the next generation of musicians. He'll offer online lessons via MasterClass.com.