Luis Gasca’s 1972 Rarity ‘For Those Who Chant’ Gets a Reissue
The trumpeter’s Latin jazz classic features performances by Carlos Santana, Neal Schon, Joe Henderson, and more.
A reissue of trumpeter Luis Gasca’s Latin jazz classic For Those Who Chant is coming soon. The limited edition reissue is out via the Verve By Request Series. It arrives on October 4 on 180-gram vinyl pressed at Third Man in Detroit.
1972’s For Those Who Chant was recorded at San Francisco’s Columbia Studios and features an all-star group of players including Carlos Santana and a pre-Journey Neal Schon on guitar, a rhythm section of Lenny White on drums, Stanley Clarke on bass (both would soon join an exciting new group called Return to Forever), and the legendary Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone. Originally released via Blue Thumb, the album is built around four tracks: “Street Dude,” “La Raza,” “Spanish Gypsy,” and “Little Mama.”
The Texas-born Mexican trumpeter Gasca quickly made a name for himself after graduating from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He performed with jazz legends like Count Basie, Woody Herman, and Stan Kenton, as well with Tito Puente and the Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria.
In the late 1960s and early ’70s, Gasca was a frequent player in San Francisco’s psychedelic scene, performing on records by the Grateful Dead and Santana. In 1969, Gasca released his first album, The Little Giant, which included a cover of the traditional spiritual “Motherless Child.” That same year, Gasca performed with Janis Joplin during her legendary Woodstock set.
Following For Those Who Chant, Gasca joined Malo, a Bay Area Latin jazz and blues ensemble led by Carlo’s brother Jorge Santana. His horns can be heard on the group’s 1972 self-titled debut. That album produced a hit single, “Suavecito,” which charted on the Billboard Top 20. Gasca would release several more records including 1974’s Born to Love You, a collaboration with Henderson, and 1976’s Collage.
