O.C. POP MUSIC REVIEW : Santana: Some Cool Music for a Warm Night in Costa Mesa

Carlos Santana and his band gave several thousand fans an intoxicating send-off to summer at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa Sunday. The warm night and the outdoor stage were the perfect setting for Santana’s patented synthesis of Latin, African and rock rhythms coupled with distinct jazz and blues sensibilities. The Woodstock veteran didn’t offer any surprises, but then his vocal fans weren’t asking for any; they were on their feet much of the night, swaying to the propulsive beat.

Instrumentals, which made up the lion’s share of the 2 1/2-hour program, ranged from introspective pieces to breakneck percussive workouts, all cut through with Santana’s distinctively soaring guitar. At worst, the instrumental jams percolated along amiably if somewhat aimlessly; at best, as happened several times in the show, the band locked into a monster groove--though two elegant keyboard-and-guitar duets, “Blues for Salvador” and the plaintive “Goodness and Mercy,” were highlights as well.

Still, vocal numbers drew some of the biggest responses, most notably a pairing of classic-rock staples from the “Abraxas” album, “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” and “Oye Como Va”, launched with a fiery duel between bassist Keith Jones and drummer Wilfredo Reyes.

The tight and responsive band (Santana lineup number thirtysomething) was rounded out by longtime members Chester Thompson on keyboards, conga player Armando Peraza and singer Alex Ligertwood.

Santana himself cut a familiar figure as he frequently closed his eyes and gently nodded his head to the music. The lanky guitarist spoke rarely and, during solos, often faced his band instead of the audience, but he nevertheless managed to project a warm and easygoing image on stage.

Certainly, at 42, he seems to have lost none of his musical prowess. While lengthy instrumental jams generally have fallen from favor, Santana’s continuing popularity might be ascribed to his light touch. Others have given in to bombast and pointless soloing, but Santana usually keeps his music moving forward, and eminently danceable.

Sunday’s set began to lose some of its focus toward the close, however, as other band members took turns soloing. But a lengthy encore that ended with an extended “Deeper, Dig Deeper” from 1987’s “Freedom” album brought back some of the punch.

Even though the set might have been trimmed back a bit, the holiday weekend crowd (about two-thirds of the amphitheater’s capacity) seemed in no hurry to leave. All in all, it wasn’t a bad way to spend a summer night.