Cindy Blackman Santana

Cindy Blackman Santana, is an American jazz and rock drummer. Blackman has recorded several jazz albums as solo act 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 the instructional video Multiplicity. „To me, jazz is the highest form of music that you can play because of the creative requirements”, says Blackman. Cindy is married to rock guitarist Carlos Santana.

Cindy Blackman is a virtuoso drummer whose artistry spans the realms of jazz and rock. As a bandleader and as a musician, Cindy is a sound innovator with a passion for pushing creative boundaries and exploring movement and change. She is as known for the nuances and colors she brings to her beats and fills as she is for the sheer power of her soulful playing. “Some drummers act, some react. Some keep time, others create it. Cindy Blackman Santana is among the few who can,” writes Mike Zwerin of the International Herald Tribune.