Cindy Blackman Santana
Birth name Cindy Blackman
Also known as Cindy Blackman-Santana
Born November 18, 1959
Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States
Genres Jazz fusion, rock ‘n’ roll
Occupation(s) Musician
Instruments Drums, percussion
Labels Muse, Sacred Sounds
Associated acts Santana, Lenny Kravitz
Cindy Blackman Santana (born November 18, 1959), sometimes known as Cindy Blackman, is an American jazz and rock drummer. Blackman is best known for recording and touring with Lenny Kravitz. Blackman has recorded several jazz albums under her own name, and has performed with Pharoah Sanders, Sonny Simmons, Ron Carter, Sam Rivers, Cassandra Wilson, Angela Bofill, Buckethead, Bill Laswell and Joe Henderson. She was influenced early in her career by seeing Tony Williams perform. In 1997 she recorded Multiplicity as a drum teaching video. “To me, jazz is the highest form of music that you can play because of the creative requirements”, says Blackman. Blackman is married to rock guitarist Carlos Santana.
Born November 18, 1959 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Blackman comes from a musical family, both her mother and grandmother were classical musicians and her uncle a vibist. “My mom, when she was younger, played violin in classical orchestras, and her mom, incidentally, was a classical musician. My mom used to take me to see classical concerts”, says Blackman. “My dad was into jazz – Miles Davis, Ahmad Jamal, people like that.” Blackman’s first introduction to the drums happened when she was seven years old in her hometown of Yellow Springs, Ohio and attending a pool party at a friend’s house, she went to use the bathroom and saw a drum set and just hopped onto the set. “It was incredible”, says Blackman. “Just looking at them struck something in my core, and it was completely right from the second I saw them”, says Blackman. “And then, when I hit them, it was like, wow, that’s me. That’s completely natural for me. It’s like breathing for me. It didn’t feel awkward at all.”
After her first introduction to drums at her friend’s house, Blackman began playing in the school band and was able to convince her parents to get her a drum set of her own while she was still only seven. “Of course those would be broken up in a matter of days”, Blackman says. “The only thing I heard at home was, ‘we don’t know if you can play drums because one, they’re noisy, and two, they’re very expensive”. Some people ask why she didn’t study violin or flute like other girls. “I learned very early on – when I was 13 – that when I concentrate on those attitudes, I don’t make progress for myself”, says Blackman. “If they’re not paying my mortgage, I don’t care what they think”.
While she was at Berklee a friend recommended her for a gig with The Drifters so Blackman left college after three semesters and moved to New York City in 1982. Blackman worked as a New York street performer but also got a chance to watch and learn. “I looked for Art Blakey, I looked for Elvin [Jones], I looked for Philly Joe Jones, for Roy Haynes, for Tony Williams. I saw so many great drummers, like Ed Blackwell and Billy Higgins, Louis Hayes. I saw Al Foster play quite a bit, Billy Hart, Jack DeJohnette. All these people, they’re in New York so I got a chance to watch them do their thing”.
While in New York, Art Blakey became a significant influence.
Blackman is adamant that musicality has nothing to do with gender. “The gender question is not even worth bringing up because the drums have got nothing to do with gender”, Blackman says. “I’m there because I love to play music.
Discography
Trio + Two with Santi Debriano, David Fiuczynski plus Greg Osby and Jerry Gonzalez (Free Lance, 1991)
Arcane with Wallace Roney, Joe Henderson, Kenny Garrett, Larry Willis, Buster Williams, Clarence Seay (Muse, 1987)
Code Red with Steve Coleman, Wallace Roney, Kenny Barron, Lonnie Plaxico (Muse, 1990 [1992)
Telepathy with Antoine Roney, Jacky Terrasson, Clarence Seay (Muse, 1992 [1994])
The Oracle with Gary Bartz, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter (Muse, 1996)
Black Night – Deep Purple Tribute According to New York with TM Stevens, Stevie Salas, Corey Glover, Ritchie Kotzen (Revolver, 1997)
In the Now with Ravi Coltrane, Jacky Terrasson, Ron Carter (HighNote, 1998)
Works on Canvas with J. D. Allen III (tenor sax), Carlton Holmes (keyboards), George Mitchell (bass) (HighNote, 1999)
A Lil’ Somethin’ Somethin’ – The Best of the Muse Years (compilation, 32 Jazz, 2000)
Someday with J. D. Allen III, Carlton Holmes, George Mitchell (HighNote, 2001)
Music for the New Millennium with J. D. Allen III, Carlton Holmes, George Mitchell (Sacred Sound, 2005)
Another Lifetime with Mike Stern and Doug Carn featuring guests Joe Lovano, Vernon Reid, Patrice Rushen, Benny Reitveld and David Santos (4 Q, 2010)
Organ Monk with Greg Lewis and Ron Jackson (Greg Lewis Music, 2010)
Spectrum Road with Jack Bruce, Vernon Reid and John Medeski (Palmetto, 2012)
Power of Peace with Carlos Santana, The Isley Brothers (Sony Legacy, 2017)
With Wallace Roney
Intuition (Muse, 1988)
The Standard Bearer (Muse, 1989)
Obsession (Muse, 1990)
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