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Cindy Blackman Santana, center, performed four energetic shows last weekend at Baltimore’s Keystone Korner. During three of her four sets, she was joined by her husband, Rock + Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana, seated far right. (Mark R. Smith/Special to The Daily Record)
Blackman Santana, with husband Carlos, perform at Keystone Korner
Cindy Blackman Santana is a scintillating jazz and rock drummer who was, earlier in her career, known for her long stint in rocker Lenny Kravitz’s band. Among those who noticed her panache was Rock + Roll Hall of Famer Carlos Santana, which led to her not only joining his band about a decade ago, but marrying him five years earlier.
During last weekend’s two-night, four-performance stand at Keystone Korner, in Baltimore’s Harbor East, Blackman Santana performed a most energetic Set 1 on Saturday (which was Night 2), toward the end of which she was joined on stage by her legendary husband.
For about 20 minutes, Carlos Santana heightened the vibe with those trademark long, melodic ― some might call them “Smooth” ― soulful licks on songs like Mongo Santamaria’s “Afro Blue,” Wayne Shorter’s “Sanctuary” and the Rodgers & Hammerstein standard “My Favorite Things” (an later a snippet of “Mary Had A Little Lamb”) that the world has loved since Santana’s eponymous debut album was released 56 years ago.
That was the third of four shows over the weekend (Carlos Santana played in three, with two sell outs) that left Todd Barkan, co-owner of Keystone Korner and a National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master, feeling upbeat.
“It was a fantastic weekend” at the 180-seat venue, said Barkan, who called operating Keystone Korner in today’s business environment “an overwhelming labor of love.” However, he added that he was “heartened that one of the greatest paybacks I receive is the 10% profit I make in joy and the consistency of our support” since the venue opened more than six years ago.
“It’s been hard,” he said, “but I’ve made the greatest difference in this community that I’ve made during my career. I get thanked two dozen times a night for just being here. Before we opened, there hadn’t been a full-time jazz club in Baltimore since Ethel’s Place (which was owned by local legend Ethel Ennis and her husband), where I played back in the day, closed in 1988.”
The added challenge “to operating in The DMV today is the effects of tariffs and inflation,” said Barkan, noting that he is soon to start a podcast. However, he remains optimistic.
“The music is keeping us steady,” he said, “though what would have been an audience of 150 is now 120. That keeps us passionate and working harder. But the music is our greatest asset and our prospects for the future are heartening.”
Barkan called Carlos Santana, who he met in 1967, “an example of what’s great in the jazz world: people helping people. He greatly enhanced our crowd.” In fact, Santana was a regular at the original Keystone Korner, which was in San Francisco, in the 1970s and his support has never wavered.
After all, rock legends don’t show up in jazz clubs every day. For Barkan, the Santanas and Charm City music lovers, it was a moment to savor.
