Cal Tjader
From the 1950s until his death, Cal Tjader was practically the point man between the worlds of Latin jazz and mainstream bop; his light, rhythmic, joyous vibraphone manner could comfortably embrace both styles. His numerous recordings for Fantasy and Verve and long-standing presence in the San Francisco Bay Area eventually had a profound influence upon Carlos Santana, and thus Latin rock. He also played drums and bongos, the latter most notably on the George Shearing Quintet's "Rap Your Troubles in Drums," and would occasionally sit in on piano as well.
Tjader studied music and education at San Francisco State College before hooking up with fellow Bay Area resident Dave Brubeck as the drummer in the Brubeck Trio from 1949 to 1951. He then worked with Alvino Rey, led his own group, and in 1953, joined George Shearing's then hugely popular quintet as a vibraphonist and percussionist. It was in Shearing's band that Tjader's love affair with Latin music began, ignited by Shearing bassist Al McKibbon, nurtured by contact with Willie Bobo, Mongo Santamaria, and Armando Peraza, and galvanized by the '50s mambo craze. When he left Shearing the following year, Tjader promptly formed his own band that emphasized the Latin element yet also played mainstream jazz. Bobo and Santamaria eventually joined Tjader's band as sidemen, and Vince Guaraldi served for a while as pianist and contributor to the band's songbook ("Ginza," "Thinking of You, MJQ").
Tjader recorded a long series of mostly Latin jazz albums for Fantasy from the mid-'50s through the early '60s, switching in 1961 to Verve, where under Creed Taylor's aegis he expanded his stylistic palette and was teamed with artists like Lalo Schifrin, Anita O'Day, Kenny Burrell, and Donald Byrd. Along the way, Tjader managed to score a minor hit in 1965 with "Soul Sauce," a reworking of Dizzy Gillespie/Chano Pozo's "Guacha Guaro," which Tjader had previously cut for Fantasy. Tjader returned to Fantasy in the 1970s, then in 1979 moved over to the new Concord Picante label, where he remained until his death in 1982.
© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo
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Tjader Plays Mambo (Remastered)
Lateinamerika - Erschienen bei RevOla am 17.10.2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cal Tjader's Latin Concert + Cal Tjader Goes Latin
Lateinamerika - Erschienen bei The Jazz Corner am 15.07.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cal Tjader Goes Latin
World Music - Erschienen bei TP4 Music am 01.11.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Demasiado Caliente + Latino (feat. Mongo Santamaria)
Lateinamerika - Erschienen bei The Jazz Corner am 15.07.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Giants Of Jazz
Jazz - Erschienen bei Harlem Jazz Records am 21.11.2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Black Orchid
Lateinamerika - Erschienen bei Jazz Arena am 17.08.2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Warm Wave
Jazz - Erschienen bei exclusiv for streaming partners am 29.01.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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A June Morning
Jazz - Erschienen bei a june morning am 17.01.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Sweet Home (Remastered)
Jazz - Erschienen bei That's What Records am 13.05.2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
'Round Midnight
Lateinamerika - Erschienen bei Hakan Okay am 24.04.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Between the Devil and the Blue Sea
Jazz - Erschienen bei Harlem Jazz Records am 27.01.2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mambo With Tjader
World Music - Erschienen bei Vinyle Numérique am 18.11.2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerts In The Sun (Remastered)
Lateinamerika - Erschienen bei RevOla am 18.12.2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Demasiado Caliente! (Remastered)
Lateinamerika - Erschienen bei RevOla am 11.01.2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Concert On The Campus
Jazz - Erschienen bei CoolNote am 01.11.2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concert on the Campus (Live)
Lateinamerika - Erschienen bei Poppydisc am 15.02.1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Song Journal
Jazz - Erschienen bei song journal am 30.04.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo