SF State Alumnus Jams with Salvador Santana Band
by kristi dyesstaff writer
October 8, 2005 5:21 PM
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On his 16th birthday, Emerson Cardenas taught himself to play the electric bass his father gave him as a birthday gift. On Oct. 16th, exactly 18 years after his 16th birthday, Cardenas will be performing with fellow band-mates of the Salvador Santana Band at the Chronicle Pavillon. Cardenas, a graduate of SF State’s School of Music and Dance, is in the midst of his second tour with the Salvador Santana Band, which kicked off in Boulder, CO on Sept. 24. Cardenas is an accomplished bass player, schooled in styles ranging from jazz to hip-hop and he also plays four other instruments. His focus and talent impressed the likes of Salvador Santana, son of music legend Carlos Santana, who asked Cardenas to join his band in Spring 2004. “(Cardenas) was a student with a big sound and love for the music,” said Hafez Modirzadeh, associate professor in the jazz and world music program at SF State. “He displayed a personality, enthusiasm and charisma that was contagious.” Today Cardenas credits SF State’s School of Music and Dance as an important part of his training, yet at one time he deemed it unnecessary. He dropped out of school after one year to pursue a professional music career in 1996. During this time he played gigs throughout San Francisco and released an album with underground hip-hop group Haiku De Tat, on which he played bass and co-wrote all the songs. He returned to school two years later to fulfill his desire to continue learning and pursue teaching. When he wasn’t playing school concerts or studying, he could be found serenading commuters at the Mission District BART stations, or jamming with the San Francisco public School of the Arts High School (SOTA) jazz band. In the fall of 1998 Cardenas met Salvador Santana, who was studying music at SOTA. Santana, like himself, had a strong background of many musical genres and played various instruments. They immediately clicked and it wasn’t long before the two were collaborating at “The Church," Carlos Santana’s music studio in San Rafael, CA. After three semesters, he stopped playing regularly with the jazz band, but he and Santana kept in contact and played with each other regularly. When Santana started recruiting musicians for his band, which consisted mostly of other SOTA classmates and musicians he met in college at Cal Arts, he didn’t hesitate to include Cardenas. Cardenas is now a mentor for the younger members of the band. Bandmate Sammy Totah Jr., 23, marvels at how he manages to be so serious about his music, yet fun-loving at the same time. He says that Cardenas is still looking to learn more about how he can be better, but is also willing to share any tips that his band-mates or any other musicians might need. “A day without laughter is a day wasted,” Totah said, repeating one of Cardenas’ oft-repeated quotes. Since joining the band, Cardenas has toured the United States and Europe extensively and has opened concerts for Los Lonely Boys and Carlos Santana. One of the most respected bass making companies in America, MTD, is working on a personalized Emerson Cardenas model. “(His success) is a combination of his musical abilities and good karma,” said Rene Del Fierro, 20, former SSB bandmate. “As well as the time he put into it. He’s paid his dues.” Cardenas’ love for music came from his biggest inspiration: Ernesto Cardenas Sr., his father, who worked as a radio disc jockey in their native Honolulu. If he wasn’t in the studio with his father, he was listening to the show at home. At home, his father could be found strumming his guitar, singing or listening to records. He taught his son about truly understanding the music, as opposed to simply listening to it. After many years of hard work, he is happy to see that his understanding has taken him exactly where he wanted to go. Besides touring with the SSB, he also has a jazz band that plays regularly at the Skybar in his hometown of Sacramento. His day job as a substitute teacher also serves as a way he can share his music with the kids. “I don’t want to sell out doing something I don’t want to do,” he said. “Music is everything I ever wanted in my life.”On his 16th birthday Emerson Cardenas taught himself to play the electric bass his father gave him for his birthday, on Oct. 16th exactly 18 years after his 16th birthday Cardenas will be performing with fellow band-mates of the Salvador Santana Band at the Chronicle Pavillon. Cardenas, a graduate of SF State’s School of Music and Dance, is in the midst of his second tour with the Salvador Santana Band (SSB) which kicked off in Boulder,CO on Sept. 24. An accomplished bass player schooled in styles ranging from jazz to hip-hop and he also plays four other instruments. His focus and talent impressed the likes of Salvador Santana, son of music legend Carlos Santana who asked Cardenas to join his band in Spring 2004. “(Cardenas) was a student with a big sound and love for the music,” said Hafez Modirzadeh, associate professor in the jazz and world music program at SF State. “He displayed a personality, enthusiasm and charisma that was contagious.” Today Cardenas credits SF State’s School of Music and Dance as an important part of his training, yet at one time he deemed it unnecessary. He dropped out of school after one year to pursue a professional music career in 1996. During this time he played dates throughout San Francisco and released an album with underground hip-hop group Haiku De Tat, on which he played bass and co-wrote all the songs. He returned two years later to school because he desired to continue learning and pursue teaching. When he wasn’t playing school concerts or studying, he could be found serenading commuters at the Mission District BART stations or jamming with the San Francisco public School of the Arts High School (SOTA) jazz band. In the fall of 1998 Cardenas met Salvador Santana, who was studying music at SOTA. Santana, like himself had a strong background of many musical genres and played various instruments. They immediately clicked and it wasn’t long before the two were collaborating at “The Church”, Carlos Santana’s music studio in San Rafael, CA. After three semesters, he stopped playing regularly with the jazz band, but he and Santana kept in contact and played with each other regularly. When Santana started recruiting musicians for his band, which consisted mostly of other SOTA classmates and musicians he met in college at Cal Arts, he didn’t hesitate to include Cardenas. Cardenas is now a mentor for other younger members of the band. Sammy Totah Jr., 23, his bandmate marvels at how he manages to be so serious about his music and yet fun-loving at the same time. He says that Cardenas is still looking to learn more about how he can be better, but is also willing to share any tips that his band-mates or any other musicians might need. “A day without laughter is a day wasted,” Totah said, repeating one of Cardenas’ oft-repeated quotes. Since joining the band Cardenas has toured the United States and Europe extensively and has opened concerts for Los Lonely Boys and Carlos Santana. He was recently recruited by Aguilar Amplifiers to endorse their products, which he uses onstage and he will be featured in an upcoming ad in Bass Player Magazine. Michael Tobiason, president of MTD basses, of one of the most respected bass making companies in America, is working on a personalized Emerson Cardenas model. "(His success) is a combination of his musical abilities and good karma," said Rene Del Fierro, 20, a former SSB bandmate. "As well as the time he put into it. He's paid his dues." Cardenas' love for music came from his biggest inspiration: Ernesto Cardenas, Sr., his father, who worked as a radio disc jockey in their native Honolulu. If he wasn't in the studio with his father, then he was listening to the show at home. At home his father could be found strumming his guitar, singing or listening to records. He taught his son about truly understanding the music as opposed to simply listening to it. After many years of hard work, he is happy to see that his understanding has taken him exactly where he wants to be. Besides touring with the SSB, he also has a jazz band that plays regularly at the Skybar in his hometown Sacramento. His day job as a substitute teacher also serves as way he can share his music with the kids. “I don’t want to sell out doing something I don’t want to do,” he said. “Music is everything I ever wanted in my life.”

» E-mail kristi dyes @ kdyes@sfsu.edu

 

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