By
His death was confirmed by Michael Vrionis, the manager of his brother, the guitarist Carlos Santana. No cause was given.
The
San Francisco-based band Malo — the name means “bad” in Spanish —
played a laid-back fusion of jazz, rock and different forms of Latin
music, not unlike the sound that catapulted Carlos Santana to
international fame. Jorge Santana’s rock guitar playing was backed by
percussion and horns more typical of Latin jazz.
The group’s debut album, titled simply “Malo,” was released in 1972. It featured “Suavecito,”
a smooth, melodic song that peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard singles
chart and became a staple for fans of Latin-tinged rock.
“A wailing guitar, a lively Latin rhythm section and crisp horns
distinguish Malo, a San Francisco band under the leadership of Jorge
Santana, Carlos’s brother,” a review by Loraine Alterman in The New York Times
said in 1972. “In this all‐original album there are shades of Eric
Clapton in Jorge’s guitar playing and traces of Blood, Sweat and Tears
in some of the brass arrangements.”
Malo
made four albums before a highly publicized breakup. Mr. Santana later
had a solo career and played with the celebrated New York-based salsa
collective the Fania All-Stars.
Guillermo
Jorge Santana was born on June 13, 1951, in Autlán, in the state of
Jalisco, Mexico, to Josefina and Jose Santana. His father was a
musician, and Jorge took up the guitar as a teenager in San Francisco.
When he was still quite young he joined the Malibus, a rhythm and blues
band with a horn section that evolved into Malo.
Mr.
Santana worked with his brother Carlos’s management company and toured
with him. In 1994 they released an album, “Santana Brothers.”
