Santana has new mana and a fire to malama

If you happen to see Mayor Kirk Caldwell or Gov. David Ige any time soon, Carlos Santana has an idea he’d like to pass on.

“I would like to see the mayor of Honolulu and the governor of Hawaii, and create in Honolulu an event that is called The Super Bowl of Consciousness,” Santana said last month, calling from San Rafael, Calif., where he was enjoying some downtime before the next leg of his Transmogrify Tour.

“The Super Bowl of Consciousness, the birth of new consciousness coming from Honolulu to the rest of the world, would be so on time right now, with the opposite of fragmented fear,” he continued, describing in vivid terms a meeting of the world’s most brilliant minds — “men and women,” he emphasized, businessmen and spiritual leaders and “the wisdom keepers of Hawaii.”

“I’d like the conference to create a dialogue of where we are, where we’re going and how we are going to create a new frequency to navigate through this life and this planet so that we can have the best food for everyone, less crime, more spiritual information — not religion! More spiritual education, less incarceration. How can we heal? How can we nurture? How can we feed? How can we educate? How can we take care of one another?”

“That’s what Santana wants to do besides the music.”

Ah, yes, the music! Santana brings the magic of six decades of music back to Hawaii this weekend — returning to the United States after shows in Australia and East Asia. He plays Blaisdell Arena on Sunday and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center on Tuesday, and then returns to Las Vegas for a returning series of shows at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.

“‘Transmogrify’ means that if you just have a little bit of willingness to allow your mind to open up to miracles and blessings, something’s gonna happen to you,” he explained. “A mirror is only good to reflect something, but when you reflect the sun you can see it for miles.”

The concept of a mirror pointed at the sun at high noon becoming “very hot, very brilliant and very effulgent” applies to his band as well, Santana said.

He can’t quite explain it, but something like that happened to the band in San Francisco last year, during a September concert.

“We played at AT&T Park where the Giants play baseball. It was Tower of Power, Doobie Brothers, Steve Miller, us and Journey. … Something happened to Santana at that particular concert, and ever since that concert our band went from charcoal to a diamond. We went from a Model T Ford 1920 to a Tesla. So the energy — I’m not exaggerating — the energy and the clarity and the courage and the passion — I have never felt this kind of energy in this band, and I’ve been here since, what, ’58?”

Whatever it is, he said, “I’m happy to tell you that when people come to hear us this time around, you’re going to see energy from this band beyond what you’re ever known before.”

The band resumed touring in April after taking a break to do some recording with high-profile producer Rick Rubin. Two albums are on the way, Santana said.

One, recorded with Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers as a vocalist, is scheduled for release in August. Santana and Isley recorded new arrangements of classic Top 40 pop, soul and blues hits by artists ranging from the Chambers Brothers to Jackie DeShannon, and from Muddy Waters to Billie Holiday, Eddie Kendricks and Stevie Wonder.

Speaking in general terms, Santana described the newly recorded music as “a fidelity of music that is perfect for what’s happening with the world right now.”

“When you set your sights with intention and you have a trajectory and an aim and a purpose, you’re gonna hit it, especially if your intentions and your passion are directed with clarity and courage,” he said. “We want to get back into the radio frequency and get back into the Grammys and all that because we have something to say to people.

“It’s an invitation for people to arm yourself with knowing that you are two things — light and love — and those two things are going to help you through this fragmented frequency of fear in the world right now.”

Santana also took questions on lighter subjects.

Fans in recent years have been delighted with reunion shows by the “classic” Santana band — Santana, Neal Schon, Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello and Michael Shrieve, plus current band members Karl Perazzo (percussion) and Benny Rietveld. We asked, What do the other members of the current band do when Santana is performing with the “classic” band?

“They grow and expand and learn like I do,” Santana said, “somewhere else with other people.”

As a longtime Oakland Raiders fan, how does he feel about the Raiders moving to Las Vegas?

“My two teams are the (San Antonio) Spurs and the Oakland Raiders. I love the Warriors and I love Portland and I love LeBron James, but my two teams are the Oakland Raiders and the Spurs. Wherever the Oakland Raiders — er, the Raiders — decide to move, my heart is with them,” Santana said. “I’m a good friend with (Raiders owner) Mark (Davis), and each person has to follow their own light, their heart and their spirit. I would feel happy if the Oakland Raiders — wherever they go — they would use some of that money that they do make to heal, help and educate other people.”

How did Puerto Rican band leader Tito Puente, composer of the 1963 Latin music hit “Oye Como Va,” feel about Santana’s 1970 Latin Rock version of it?

“He wasn’t happy in the beginning,” Santana said, a hint of a smile in his voice. “He told me to my face that he wasn’t happy about it, because people started telling him, ‘That’s not the way to play it. Play it like Santana.’”

Puente’s feelings changed, Santana added, when Puente got his first check for the composer’s royalties that “Oye Como Va” earned. According to Santana, Puente said, “I received the first royalties and I got a mansion, and I said, ‘OK, I’m gonna play it like Santana!’”