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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A Fuego Vivo (Live)
Jazz - Released by Concord Picante on 1 Aug 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Good Vibes (Live)
Jazz - Released by Concord Picante on 1 Jan 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Solar Heat
Jazz - Released by DCC Compact Classics, Inc. on 1 Jan 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sunset Boulevard (Live)
Latin America - Released by Elemental Music Records SL on 20 Oct 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Tjader Plays Mambo
Latin America - Released by Poppydisc on 7 Feb 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Extremes (Remastered 2001)
Jazz - Released by Fantasy on 28 Aug 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cal Tjader with the Stan Getz Sextet
Cal Tjader, The Stan Getz Sextet
Latin America - Released by Supreme Media on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Compact Jazz: Cal Tjader
Jazz - Released by Verve Reissues on 1 Jan 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerts In The Sun (Live)
Jazz - Released by Fantasy Records on 12 Nov 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cal Tjader Sounds out Burt Bacharach
Latin America - Released by Skye Records on 16 Dec 1968
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mas Ritmo Caliente!
Latin America - Released by Poppydisc on 16 Dec 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Ritmo Caliente
Jazz - Released by Liberation Hall on 24 Mar 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Classic Fantasy Collection: 1953-1962
Jazz - Released by ENLIGHTENMENT on 19 Jan 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Legend - Cal Tjader, Vol. 3
Latin America - Released by Documents 2 on 14 Jul 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sentimental Moods / Cal Tjader's Latin Concert / Monterey Concerts
Jazz - Released by Universe Remasterings on 11 Jul 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo