Breaking Sound Barriers

I WAS REFRESHED and renewed by Aaron Gallegos’ profile of Carlos Santana ("When Spirits Dance and Angels Fly," January 1994). It was important to be reminded that the barriers that exist within music are usually those put up by ourselves out of fear. Santana as a person and a musician has always been a bridge builder.

My interest in music as a musician is to help continue the legacy of "peace ambassadors" like Santana, Dizzy Gillespie, and Duke Ellington. Santana has also helped to introduce a wider audience to the richness and sophistication of Afro-Cuban music, i.e. Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, and Armando Peraza.

Cambridge, Massachusetts