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Santana: Cooling Into The Norm

Don Snowden, Musician, June 1985

A BRISK BREEZE cools the crisp San Francisco afternoon but the glaring lights and cumulative body heat of 50-odd crew members, band friends and label reps have transformed the SIR soundstage where Santana is shooting its 'Say It Again' video into a fair approximation of a sauna. Directors bark commands, technicians scurry from task to task and dolly-mounted cameras slowly roll across the room while the band occupies itself with an extended jam. A white-capped Armando Peraza claims center stage to run through a series of dance moves, including a more than passable moonwalk, with a flair no conguero nearing 60 should be able to muster.

Total word count of piece: 2402

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