Live At Montreux 2011[2 DVD]

This DVD documents the performance of the Santana Band at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 2, 2011. As such, it is the most recent performance available from the band. It is an outstanding recording of some of Santana's most loved composiitions, along with a few songs found on the last studio record, Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics Of All Time I was skeptical since Santana has released numerous recordings of Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen/Oye Como Va, Europa, Soul Sacrifice and Samba Pa Ti. However, I was very pleased with the high quality of the performances, as well as the overall sound quality and video production. The music has a freshness and immediacy that belies the classic status of these and other compositions. Contrary to a previous reviewer's complaints about the presence of a horn section and a second vocalist, both dramatically enhanced the impact of the music. The live recordings of Back in Black and Sunshine of Your Love are far superior to the versions on the studio album. In this performance Carlos makes the songs his own, unlike the mere covers found on the CD. The horn section is superb, featuring Bill Ortiz on trumpet and Jeff Cressman on trombone. The percussion section, always an outstanding component of the ensemble sound, here reach new heights, in no small part due to the presence of Dennis Chambers on drums, now a regular member of the band. His solid background as one of the pre-eminent jazz and fusion drummers, known for his work with John McLaughlin and Mike Stern, serves him very well in this setting. Guest appearances from Carlos Santana's new wife Cindy Blackman, and rising stars Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi provide their own highlights and a little variety to the program. But the sheer joy and superb perfromances by the band and Carlos himself make this a must have video for fans old and new alike.

Wow. Again wow ! Thank you, thank you, thank you Mr. Santana and fellow artists for a magical evening, a musical and rhythmic feast, a true rock music Tour de Force of guitars, multiple percussionists and vocalists, bass, horns, and organ.This concert shows Carlos Santana seasoned and shaped by so many years as a creative artist and popular musician on a spiritual journey that you will feel in your heart, your gut, and in your dancing feet that will not be able to keep still. Mr. Santana's musical prowess, his grace, beauty, and humility are felt throughout the performance with his extremely talented and tightly knit band.The set list covers Santana's entire career back to the enduring beauty of Woodstock Days, and includes tributes to other greats, such as BB King, John Coltrane (A Love Supreme) and Cream - Clapton, Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker (Sunshine of Your Love). The alchemy of Susan Tedeschi and Derek Truck's contribution in "Make Somebody Happy" was a nugget of emotional, spiritual, musical gold.This is a performance delving into so many musical dimensions with dynamic, ever changing rhythms and energy that build to an oh-so-satisfying climactic conclusion. There are so many layers to be experienced in this concert for those of us that missed that evening at Montreaux, this wonderfully produced and edited HD DVD is a treasure well worth its price. Bless you Santana & Company, and thank you for blessing us with your art and this performance.

Bought this BD along with 4 others to go with my new Sony 800M2 BD player. The Pink Floyd disc I got seemed to have a/v sync issue and I used this disc to check. No issues here. Just an unbelievable picture and the sound is spot on. I have not gotten all the way thru this BD yet. Two or 3 song in Carlos tears into an AC/DC song with two "vocalists" rappin', scattin' and bebopin' the lyrics (?) Whut? Anyway, it sounds great and looks great and thats all I care about. Carlos guitar is a little thin in the mix. I would have preferred him to be front and center and little hotter. Lots cameo appearances on this one. I could do without that too.

An album like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of The Moon was recorded mostly as a medley of songs, one flowing into the other. And so the concert going audience has come to expect live execution that is close to the studio recording. Not so with Carlos Santana's greatest hits. Thus it's fine with me that Live At Montreux includes a brass section and even rappers for an extended performance, and also for variety.The Master DTS audio of this concert bluray disc is excellent. The picture quality is also very good. I have revised my original review to remove what I stated earlier about audio and video being out of sync. Apparently that resulted from erroneous setting of the sound system on my part. Turning off the TV's audio eliminated that issue.

Great audio and video here on Blu-Ray. Totally loved this concert performance except for one, and easily skipped over, part. At the beginning, for some God only knows reason, Carlos Santana lets one of his singers do a Rap cover of AC/DC's Back in Black. I'm seeing this and thinking to myself, s#*t !!! Have I just flushed my money down the toliet to see Rap covers of Santana songs too?? Thankfully, no. After that waste, some real, authentic music ensues for your listening pleasure. Just use the skip function on the remote and you're good to go.

I have an audiophile system setup and the sound is very good. If you are a Santana fan don't hesitate to buy.