Santana grateful to all-star helpers

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NEW YORK, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Carlos Santana feels nothing but gratitude for the people who help him make his music these days.

Santana's new "All That I Am" is the third in a series of albums -- dating back to 1999's Grammy-winning "Supernatural" -- to feature mostly all-star collaborations. Among those taking part on this album are Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am, Mary J. Blige, the OutKast's Big Boi, Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Michelle Branch, who sang on "The Game of Love" from 2002's "Shaman."

"The main thing for me is I'm really grateful, man," says Santana, 58, whose band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. "I'm really, really grateful and happy we can be in this situation to just share music with all these incredible, gifted people."

Santana will launch "All That I Am" with a performance Tuesday (Nov. 1) at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. He has South American and European dates booked for spring 2006, with a North American tour expected to follow in the summer.