Festival cover art

  Studio Album · No. 7

Festival Songwriting Credits by Santana

1977 Columbia 11 tracks 46 min

Produced by David Rubinson

Columbia Latin RockJazz FusionChicano Rock
64%
Authorship
Songwriter

Holds writing credit on 7 of 11 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 7 / 11 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 11 tracks with documented writers, by whether Santana carries a lyricist or composer credit.

64%
7 trackswritten by Santana 4 tracksoutside writers
Santana's roles on this album

Share of the 11 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist64%
Composer64%
Producer0%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

11
Tracks
9
Lyricists
1
Producers
1977
Released
Data Insight

Festival is built almost entirely on band compositions, with Tom Coster, Carlos Santana, Leon Patillo, and José Areas trading writing credits across the record. The album leans hard into Latin-jazz fusion, pairing Coster's keyboard-driven harmonic ideas with Patillo's gospel-tinged vocals and dense Afro-Cuban percussion. Coming after Amigos, it sits as a transitional late-1970s release that closed out a lineup era: it was Coster's last full studio album, Patillo's second and final record as the band's vocalist, and Areas' last appearance with the group. Two outside covers anchor the Latin material, Nonato Buzar's "Verão Vermelho" and Pello el Afrokán's "María Caracóles."

Festival is the eighth studio album by Santana, released in 1977 on Columbia Records. The album continued the accessible, rhythmically driven sound of Amigos, blending Latin rock with the emerging fusion and disco currents of the late 1970s. Tom Coster contributed significantly to the songwriting, and the band's Afro-Cuban percussion section remained the rhythmic anchor. "Jugando" and "Let the Children Play" showed the band balancing commercial appeal with the percussive complexity that had always set Santana apart from mainstream rock groups. Festival was a solid commercial entry in the band's catalog, demonstrating that even in a period of stylistic flux in rock, Santana's rhythmic identity was strong enough to weather any era.

Track Listing & Credits 11 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Carnaval
Tom CosterCarlos Santana Tom CosterCarlos Santana David Rubinson Carlos Santana
2
Let the Children Play #102
Leon PatilloCarlos Santana Leon PatilloCarlos Santana David Rubinson Carlos Santana
3
Jugando
José AreasCarlos Santana José AreasCarlos Santana David Rubinson Carlos Santana
4
Give Me Love
Pablo Téllez Pablo Téllez David Rubinson Carlos Santana
5
Verão Vermelho
Nonato Buzar Nonato Buzar David Rubinson Carlos Santana
6
Let the Music Set You Free
Tom CosterLeon PatilloDavid RubinsonCarlos Santana Tom CosterLeon PatilloDavid RubinsonCarlos Santana David Rubinson Carlos Santana
7
Revelations
Tom CosterCarlos Santana Tom CosterCarlos Santana David Rubinson Carlos Santana
8
Reach Up
Tom CosterPaul JacksonLeon PatilloCarlos Santana Tom CosterPaul JacksonLeon PatilloCarlos Santana David Rubinson Carlos Santana
9
The River
Leon PatilloCarlos Santana Leon PatilloCarlos Santana David Rubinson Carlos Santana
10
Try a Little Harder
Leon Patillo Leon Patillo David Rubinson Carlos Santana
11
María Caracóles
Pello el Afrokán Pello el Afrokán David Rubinson Carlos Santana

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 9 contributors

CS
Carlos Santana
Writer
On this album7 written
LP
Leon Patillo
Writer
On this album5 written
TC
Tom Coster
Writer
On this album4 written
DR
David Rubinson
Writer · Producer
On this album1 written
JA
José Areas
Writer
On this album1 written
NB
Nonato Buzar
Writer
On this album1 written
PT
Pablo Téllez
Writer
On this album1 written
PJ
Paul Jackson
Writer
On this album1 written
PE
Pello el Afrokán
Writer
On this album1 written

More from Santana

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Santana
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9 tracksProd. David Rubinson
1970 67%
Abraxas
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1971 78%
Santana III
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1972 80%
Caravanserai
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1973 44%
Welcome
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1974 58%
Borboletta
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1976 86%
Amigos
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1977 88%
Moonflower
Columbia
16 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
1978 56%
Inner Secrets
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9 tracksProd. Brian Potter
1979 91%
Marathon
Columbia
11 tracksProd. Keith Olsen
1980 44%
The Swing of Delight
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9 tracksProd. David Rubinson
1981 58%
Zebop!
Columbia
12 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
1982 55%
Shangó
Columbia
11 tracksProd. Bill Szymczyk
1983 36%
Havana Moon
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11 tracksProd. Jerry Wexler
1985 64%
Beyond Appearances
Columbia
11 tracksProd. Val Garay
1987 100%
Blues for Salvador
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9 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
1987 90%
Freedom
Columbia
10 tracksProd. Jeffrey Cohen
1990 60%
Spirits Dancing in the Flesh
Columbia
10 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
1992 67%
Milagro
Polydor
12 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
1994 55%
Brothers
Polydor Records
11 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
1999 54%
Supernatural
Arista
13 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
2002 25%
Shaman
Arista
16 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
2005 38%
All That I Am
Arista
13 tracksProd. Clive Davis
2010 0%
Guitar Heaven
Arista
12 tracksProd. Howard Benson
2012 85%
Shape Shifter
Sony Masterworks
13 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
2014 8%
Corazón
RCA
12 tracksProd. Lester Mendez
2016 100%
Santana IV
Santana IV Records
16 tracksProd. Carlos Santana
2019 0%
Africa Speaks
Concord Records
11 tracksProd. Rick Rubin
2021 67%
Blessings and Miracles
Concord Records
15 tracksProd. Carlos Santana

Frequently Asked Questions Festival

When was Santana's Festival released and on what label?
Festival was released in January 1977 on Columbia Records. It was the band's eighth studio album, recorded in 1976 and produced by David Rubinson & Friends, Inc.
Was Festival a commercial success for Santana?
It reached number 27 on the US Billboard 200 and number 29 on the Soul LPs chart, and it also hit number 27 in the UK. The album was certified Gold in the United States and France and Silver in the United Kingdom, though it underperformed compared to Santana's early-1970s peak.
Did any singles from Festival chart?
"Let the Children Play" was issued as a single and reached number 102 on Billboard's Bubbling Under the Hot 100, just below the main chart. "Jugando" and "Verão Vermelho" were also released as singles but did not chart significantly.
Who wrote "María Caracóles" on Festival?
"María Caracóles" was written by Cuban percussionist and bandleader Pello el Afrokán. Santana's version closes the album as a folkloric Latin piece driven by dense ensemble percussion.
Who wrote "Verão Vermelho" and where did it come from?
"Verão Vermelho" was written by Brazilian composer Nonato Buzar. It is one of two outside covers on Festival, bringing a Brazilian flavor alongside the band's original compositions.
Who sang lead vocals on Festival?
Leon Patillo handled lead vocals on Festival. It was his second and final album as the band's vocalist before he left to pursue a solo gospel career.
How did Tom Coster shape the songwriting on Festival?
Keyboardist Tom Coster co-wrote several tracks including "Carnaval," "Revelations," "Reach Up," and "Let the Music Set You Free." Festival marked his last full studio album with Santana and reflects his strong jazz-fusion influence on the group's sound.
What genre is Festival considered?
Festival blends Latin rock, jazz fusion, and Chicano rock. The album leans heavily on Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms layered under Coster's keyboard work and Patillo's vocals.
Why is Festival considered a transitional album for Santana?
Festival closed out an era of the band's lineup. It was Tom Coster's last full studio album, Leon Patillo's final record as vocalist, and percussionist José "Chepitó" Areas' last appearance with the group, while Raul Rekow made his Santana debut here.
What instrumental opens Festival?
The album opens with "Carnaval," a short instrumental written by Tom Coster and Carlos Santana that sets up the second track, "Let the Children Play," the album's lead single.

Sources

Wikipedia: Festival (Santana album) Wikipedia - Santana discography MusicBrainz - Festival release group Cover Art Archive - Festival Official Charts - Santana Cover Art Archive: Festival by Santana