Biography

Because he was a crossover success, vibraphonist/percussionist Cal Tjader received his share of derision from both sides of the jazz/Latin fence. However, his sincere interest in Latin rhythms and their potential for blending with cool jazz led to a groundbreaking fusion of the two, and a genuine hit with the tune "Soul Sauce" in 1965. An important conduit between the two styles, he helped bring percussionists Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo to a much wider audience. With practically a life lived on tour, it's almost fitting he was on the road (in the Phillipines) when he passed away at 56 in 1982.

Top Tracks

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• A Message To Michael

• A Night In Tunisia

• Afro Blue

• Aquarius

• Armando's Quajira

• Big Bear

• Black Orchid

• Blues March

• Bye Bye Blues

• Crow's Nest

• Cuban Fantasy

• Curacao

• Curaçao

• Django

• Doxy

• Elizete

• Evil Ways

• Felicidade

• Fried Bananas

• Hip Vibrations

• Hot Sake

• I Feel Pretty/somewhere

• I Want To Be Happy

• I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face

• Laura

• Los Bandidos

• Love Me Or Leave Me

• Mambo Mindoro

• Manteca

• Maria

• Meditação

• Naima

• Over The Rainbow

• Philadelphia Mambo

• Ritmo Uni

• S.s. Groove

• Santo Domingo

• Se é Tarde, Me Perdoa

• Serengeti

• Shoshana

• Solar Heat

• Soul Bird (tin Tin Dao)

• Soul Bird (tin Tin Deo)

• Soul Burst

• Soul Sauce (guachi Guaro)

• Souled Out

• Speak Low

• Stompin' At The Savoy

• The Continental

• The Lady Is A Tramp

• Tokyo Blues

• Tu Crees Que?

• Will You Still Be Mine?

Discography

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• Cool Fire

  Concord Jazz

  2003

• Cuban Fantasy

  Fantasy

  2003

• Concerts in the Sun

  Fantasy

  2002

• Primo

  Fantasy/OJC

  1992

• Last Night When We Were Young

  Fantasy

  1991

• Tjader

  Fantasy

  1978

• Breathe Easy

  Fantasy

  1977

• Here and There

  Fantasy

  1977

• Here

  Fantasy

  1977

• Guarabe

  Fantasy

  1976

• Grace Cathedral Concert

  Fantasy

  1976

• Amazonas

  Original Jazz Classics / Fantasy

  1975

• Puttin' It Together

  Fantasy

  1975

• Descarga

  Fantasy

  1972

• Live at the Funky Quarters

  Fantasy

  1970

• Sounds Out Burt Bacharach

  DCC Compact Classics

  1969

• Solar Heat

  DCC Jazz / DCC Compact Classics

  1968

• Hip Vibrations

  1967

• Bamboléate

  Fania

  1967

• Bamboleate

  Vampi Soul

  1967

• Along Comes Cal

  1967

• El Sonido Nuevo: The New Soul Sound

  Polygram

  1966

• Soul Burst

  Verve / Polygram

  1966

• Latin for Dancers

  Fantasy

  1966

• Breeze from the East

  1964

• Warm Wave

  Verve

  1964

• Several Shades of Jade

  Verve

  1963

• In a Latin Bag

  1962

• Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brasil

  Verve / Polygram

  1962

• Saturday Night: Sunday Night at the Black Hawk, San Francis

  Verve

  1962

• Cal Tjader Live and Direct

  Fantasy

  1962

• Cal Tjader Plays, Mary Stallings Sings

  Original Jazz Classics

  1961

• Cal Tjader Plays Harold Arlen

  1961

• West Side Story (Jazz Version)

  Fantasy

  1960

• Latino

  Fantasy

  1960

• Demasado Caliente

  Fantasy

  1960

• Concert on the Campus

  Original Jazz Classics

  1960

• Concert by the Sea, Vols. 1 & 2

  Fantasy

  1959

• Concert by the Sea, Vol. 2

  Fantasy

  1959

• Concert by the Sea, Vol. 1

  Fantasy

  1959

• Cal Tjader Goes Latin

  Fantasy

  1959

• Live and Direct

  Fantasy

  1959

• Latin for Lovers With Strings

  Fantasy

  1958

• Mas Ritmo Caliente

  Fantasy

  1958

• Cal Tjader [1957]

  Fantasy

  1957

• Cal Tjader Quartet

  Fantasy/OJC

  1956

• The Cal Tjader Quintet

  Fantasy

  1956

• Tjader Plays Tjazz

  Original Jazz Classics / Fantasy/OJC

  1954

• Cal Tjader: Vibist

  Savoy

  1954

• Plays Afro-Cuban

  Fantasy

  1954

• Cal Tjader, Vol. 1

  Savoy

  1954

• The Cal Tjader Trio

  Fantasy

  1953