No strings attached for younger Santana

In his official bio, keyboardist Salvador Santana’s family history first mentions his maternal grandfather, blues pioneer Saunders King, then his paternal grandfather, mariachi violinist Jose Santana.

Oh, and by the way, his dad is rock legend Carlos Santana.

The billing order suggests Salvador’s insistence on defining his own identity as a musician and his own sound as leader of the Salvador Santana Band. He’s by no means disassociating himself from his famous father, for whom he opens Friday at the Home Depot Center. Still, Salvador will send a signal of independence when his seven-piece outfit takes the stage and fans notice the instrument that’s missing:

His band has no lead guitar.

“I did it because that’s what my ear was leaning toward,” says Salvador, 22, who replaced the guitar with a saxophone. “I felt the band could be stronger, and it is.... For me, it’s just about trying to concentrate on myself and on my sound, so I can fill my own shoes.”

Though Salvador started his band last year and has toured with his father before, this is the first time he performs with his group for L.A. audiences. The day before the Home Depot show, the Salvador Santana Band is set to play the Viper Room in West Hollywood.

He doesn’t have a record deal yet, but he’s shopping a five-song demo that includes his own compositions. The recording does feature a former lead guitarist, who left to focus on his own band.

Salvador started studying guitar as a child, but he hated it. He got calluses and didn’t like the tone he got from the instrument. His father made him practice for hours, and that just made him angry.

“He was trying to force his good intentions on me,” recalls Salvador, “but if anything, it backfired.”

At age 7, the boy took up the piano. The match was magical. “The piano spoke to me,” he says.

Salvador graduated from San Francisco’s School of the Arts and went on to major in music at CalArts in Valencia.

Today, his music is a contemporary blend of jazz, Latin, hip-hop and other styles that hit his fancy. His varied influences include Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis.

Does he ever worry about living in his father’s shadow?

“No, because I’ll forever be known as part of the Santana family,” he says. “That’s both a blessing and a curse. The question is, when can I use it to my advantage and when should I just be myself?”

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-- Agustin Gurza