Studio Album · No. 5
Borboletta
Produced by Carlos Santana, Michael Shrieve, Tom Coster
Santana wrote 7 of 12 documented tracks
Authorship Breakdown 7 / 12 documented
Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Santana carries a lyricist or composer credit.
Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
By the Numbers
Borboletta closes the jazz-fusion stretch Santana opened with Caravanserai and Welcome, leaning further into open-ended improvisation than tight Latin-rock hooks. Most pieces are band compositions credited across Carlos Santana, keyboardist Tom Coster, drummer Michael Shrieve, and others, with Leon Patillo handling lead vocals and writing the ballad "Mirage." Brazilian guests Flora Purim and Airto Moreira shape the record's airy, percussive feel, and their presence ties directly to the album's title, the Portuguese word for butterfly. The lone outside song is "Promise of a Fisherman," a cover of Dorival Caymmi's "Promessa de Pescador" that stretches past eight minutes as the album's centerpiece.
Borboletta is the sixth studio album by Santana, released in 1974 on Columbia Records. The album continued the jazz-influenced direction of Caravanserai and Welcome while incorporating Brazilian musical elements, the title means "butterfly" in Portuguese, and the record has a fluid, organic quality that distinguishes it from the heavier early records. Tom Coster remained a central compositional voice, and the album features the deep rhythmic interplay between Carlos Santana's guitar and the expanded percussion section. "Promise of a Fisherman" brought a rare vocal tenderness to the collection, and the suite-like instrumental passages demonstrated the band's improvisational range. Borboletta is often grouped with Caravanserai and Welcome as the "spiritual trilogy" of Santana's 1970s artistic expansion.
Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Spring Manifestations
|
Airto MoreiraFlora Purim | Airto MoreiraFlora Purim | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 2 |
Canto de Los Flores
|
Tom Coster | Tom Coster | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 3 |
Life Is Anew
|
Carlos SantanaMichael Shrieve | Carlos SantanaMichael Shrieve | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 4 |
Give and Take
|
Carlos SantanaTom CosterMichael Shrieve | Carlos SantanaTom CosterMichael Shrieve | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 5 |
One with the Sun
|
Jerry Martini | Jerry Martini | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 6 |
Aspirations
|
Tom CosterCarlos Santana | Tom CosterCarlos Santana | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 7 |
Practice What You Preach
|
Carlos Santana | Carlos Santana | Carlos SantanaTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 8 |
Mirage
|
Leon Patillo | Leon Patillo | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 9 |
Here and Now
|
Armando PerazaCarlos Santana | Armando PerazaCarlos Santana | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 10 |
Flor de Canela
|
Carlos SantanaDoug Rauch | Carlos SantanaDoug Rauch | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 11 |
Promise of a Fisherman
|
Dorival Caymmi | Dorival Caymmi | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |
| 12 |
Borboletta
|
Airto Moreira | Airto Moreira | Carlos SantanaMichael ShrieveTom Coster | Carlos Santana (Guitar)Tom Coster (Keyboards)Leon Patillo (Vocals, Keyboards)David Brown (Bass)Michael Shrieve (Drums)Armando Peraza (Percussion)José "Chepito" Areas (Percussion) |