Cal Tjader

Cal Tjader was born Callen Radcliffe Tjader, Jr. on July 16, 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri to Swedish American vaudevillians. When he was 2 the family moved to San Mateo, Ca and opened a dance studio. His mother taught him piano and his father taught him to tap dance. At age 16 he won a Gene Krupa drum solo contest.

After high school and a tour in the Navy as a medic, Cal went to San Francisco State College and met Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond. They formed the Dave Brubeck Octet and Cal played drums. When the Octet broke up, Tjader and Brubeck formed a trio and it was during this period that he taught himself the vibraphone.

In 1953 he joined George Shearing's group. They made frequent trips to New York and Cal would go and see the Latin Bands of Tito Puente and Machito. When he left the Shearing band the following year, he formed his own group, The Cal Tjader Modern Mambo Quintet, and started recording for Fantasy. He also had several straight ahead bebop groups and was part of San Francisco's jazz scene. He recorded prolifically for Fantasy until 1962.

Tjader signed on with Verve and in 1963 he experimented with combining Jazz and Asian music, recording two albums. In 1964, returning to Latin Jazz he had a hit album called "Soul Sauce."

During the 1970's Cal returned to the Fantasy label. He experimented with Rock music and added electronic instruments to his band. In 1979 he signed on with Concord Picante and again returned to all Latin Jazz. His first album "La Onda Va Bien" won a Grammy award. On May 5, 1982 Cal died from a heart attack while on tour in Manila, Philipines.

I'm listening to the CD "Monterey Concerts." This is a 2 LP reissue of "Concerts by the Sea Vol 1&2." This is a live concert date on April 20, 1959 for the Monterey Jazz Festival.

The band is composed of Tjader on vibes; Paul Horn on flute and alto sax; Lonnie Hewitt on piano; Al Mckibbon on bass; Willie Bobo on drums and timbales; and Mongo Santamaria on percussion.

This recording is a mixture of straight ahead Jazz and Latin Jazz. The tunes include "Doxy," Afro-Blue," "Laura," "'Round Midnight," "A Night in Tunisia," "Lover, Come Back to Me," and "Tumbao."

Here's a video of Cal Tjader playing "Guachi Guara"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JQMvidVo5Y&feature=player_detailpage