Lotus is a live album by the Latin rock band Santana, recorded at the Osaka Koseinenkin Hall, Osaka, Japan in July 1973. This album falls into the period between the Caravanserai and Borboletta period of the band.
Although the album was digitally remastered in 1991, it was not fully captured with all the triple LP until 2006 when it was released as a triple CD package. Lotus has been described as a progressive rock and jazz fusion album with Latin percussion composed of extensive live instrumental jam session tracks. The concert was conceived to be not just a musical experience, but a spiritual one too, and this was reflected in a message from Sri Chinmoy, who was the spiritual guru for Carlos Santana at that time. Sri Chinmoy’s message was included in the original album and was also read out during the performance.
As one of the definitive Santana albums, Lotus is famous for its extensive, uninterrupted live performance in Japan, showcasing the band at the peak of their powers. The album cover art also became legendary, representing an actual lotus flower that opens up to unveil a pop-up stage with moving parts, an artwork that was inspired by the location and the band's spiritual underpinnings.
The performance was long, consisting of almost two hours of music, with the band performing songs from their early years up to 1973. The album includes the ultimate Santana hits like "Black Magic Woman," combined with jazz-styled pieces and long, exploratory jams.
Furthermore, the fact that Santana chose Japan as the country to record this album shows the global popularity of their sound - a fiery mix of rock, Latin music, jazz, blues, and African rhythms. The vibrant nature of Santana's music comes to life in this unique, enriched concert recording that gives listeners the feeling of being part of a spiritual musical journey, just as Santana intended.
