Los Ritmos Calientes - The Cal Tjader Forum

[mikeweil]

Since we're mentioning so many of his Verve albums, a word of praise and a heartfelt recommendation for this recent issue is due:

These excerpts from six live dates at the Penthouse in Seattle show how different Tjader's live gigs were from his studio albums. He had not changed his basic attitude of starting with straightahead jazz and adding the conguero later for the Latin numbers, and lost none of his jazz chops. The bands were tight, the sound identitly clear, even with sidemen that stepped in for only  a few weeks or months. The joy of playing is evident, as is the good spirit and interaction within the band. 

The concepts of the studio albums were dominated much more by Creed Taylor than I previously thought. To save on airplane fares, and because it was his preference, he used New York studio professionals, which had its pros and cons. Here's an overview of the Verve albums, with year of issue:

1 - In A Latin Bag -  1961 - basically his regular band with Paul Horn and Armando Peraza added. Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo had left, replaced by Wilfredo Vicente and Johnny Rae. Lonnie Hewitt played piano. Very elegant, very professional production, less casual than with Fantasy, but recorded in LA.

2 - Saturday Night / Sunday Night At The Blackhawk, San Francisco - 1961

A straightahead quartet live recording at one of all jazz musicians' favourite venues in California, with Lonnie Hewitt, Fred Schreiber, and Johnny Rae. It was to remain his only live album for Verve, Creed Taylor rarely was saitified with the sound and all. But this shows Tjader was up to par with any vibist of his generation, and perhaps had the most beautiful sound on the instrument.

Both of these were coupled on a British reissue in perfect sound, Universal never bothered to consider them. 

https://www.discogs.com/release/14772484-Cal-Tjader-In-A-Latin-Bag

3 - Anita O'Day & Cal Tjader - Time For 2 - 1962

Both were Verve artists at the time, the combination works fine, they used used Tjader's band with O'Day's pianist Bon Corwin steping in on several tracks. Since drummer Johnny Rae was an accomplished vibist as well, Tjader played drums on some tracks, the instrument that he started on and kept playing on a few recording sessions.

This was reissued by Verve on CD.

 

4 - Cal Tjader Plays The Contemporary Music Of Mexico And Brazil - 1962

The bossa nova craze had not yet started when Tjader went for Clare Fischer's idea of combining the beautiful melodies of Mexican composer Mario Ruiz Armengol with a rather unusual selection of modern Brazilian tunes. Tjader never went for the Jobim/Gilberto repertoire that everybody played. This, too, was reissued by Verve. I recommend programming the player for either the Armengol or the Brazilian tunes. Tjader's vibes sound is exceptionally beautiful here.

5 - Soña Libré - 1963

Recorded with Tjader's working band of the time with Clare Fischer on organ as well as piano, this  remains one of my favourites. A tight band, well chosen repertoire. There is one set with this personnel  in the Penthouse set. Believe it or not, this was among the first fifty CDs reissued on CD from the Verve catalog - but it is long out of print.

6 - Several Shades of Jade - 1963

This may be an attempt to profit on some type of exoctica fashion, but Lalo Shifrin's great arrangements make this a winner. New York studio guys play their asses off for a perfect backdrop for Tjader to solo on - this is as much a Schifrin as a Tjader album. 

7 - Breeze From The East - 1964

In an interview, Tjader confessed that he vomitted when he left the sudio after a mixing session. This may be exaggerated, but it definitely is the un-jazziest album he ever made. The number of preliminary sessions  and outtakes tells the story of how ill-conceived this mismatch of producer/arranger Stan Applebaum and Tjader was. In my ears, it fails even as an exotica album. Not nearly as Japanese as the cover suggests.

The last two albums were thrown together by Verve for a CD reissue. https://www.discogs.com/release/994955-Cal-Tjader-Several-Shades-Of-Jade-Breeze-From-The-East

8 - Warm Wave  - 1964

One of Tjader's greatest wishes was to record an all ballad album with some of the great New York studio pros, like Hank Jones. What he got was was this album where an overbearing string orchestra was arranged on top of the basic tracks. Claus Ogerman was one of Creed Taylor's favourites. If they had mixed the strings, flutes, and voices at lower volume this would sound much more elegant. It is good, but .... Never got a single CD reissue, not even in Japan, only a few tracks pop up on compilations.

9 - Soul Sauce - 1965

Undoubtedly Tjader's best selling Verve album. Taylor had booked an all-star band with Donald Byrd, Jimmy Heath, Kenny Burrell, Armando Peraza etc. and wanted some popular tunes from Tjader's book and some standards, but somehow it did not take off. So they flew in Tjader's band from California who laid down a series of first takes in one session. The title is a new name for one of the warhorses of the Dizzy Gillespie band with Chano Pozo, Guarachi Gurao, which hardly anyone was able to pronounce correctly. After Willie Bobo had overdubbed his vocal comments the following day and remarked this version was spicier than the original, Taylor came up with the title Soul Sauce, branding a whole style of music - salsa!

Only Afro Blue from the all-star sessions made it to the album. This was on CD several times in the US and Japan, but only the 1994 CD reissue has the two bonus tracks that presumably were arranged by Gary McFarland.

10 - Soul Bird; Whiffenpoof - 1965

Trying to follow up a hit record with another one often fails. Neither this nor the next became as popular as Soul Sauce, despite the inclusion of another Gillespie/Pozo number, Tin Tin Deo, and one titled Soul Motion. Taylor had leaned his lesson and kept Tjader's band for the session. 

This was on CD in the US LP replica series.

 11 - Soul Burst - 1966

Another attempt to follow up Soul Sauce - this time Manteca was included. Oliver Nelson was the arranger here for four tracks, of an all star band of New York pros including a young Chick Corea, but a comparison with the Penthouse live sets of that year shows that his working band played much livelier. This too was on US CD.

 

 

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The remaining five will come tomorrow.

Edited Thursday at 11:41 PM by mikeweil

[GA Russell]

Great work, Mike!  I have eight of the eleven.

[mikeweil]

12 - Cal Tjader & Eddie Palmieri - el sonido nuevo - 1966

The pairing of Tjader and one of the leading figures of what was now called Salsa shows the respect Tjader found in Latin circles. The band basically is Palmieri's band La Perfecta, with one trombone added and Bobby Rodriguez on bass. Those who found the "darker sound" special are not familiar with the developments in Palmieri's music. It works just fine and may be one of the most interesting Latin jazz albums of its time. There was a comment on discogs:  https://www.discogs.com/release/3841525-Cal-Tjader-Eddie-Palmieri-El-Sonido-Nuevo revealing that Tjader overdubbed his parts. The 1993 CD reissue added a strange selection of six bonus tracks taken from various other Tjader Verve albums.

 

13 - Cal Tjader & Eddie Palmieri - Bamboleate - 1967

There was a counterpart LP on Tico, the label with which Palmieri was under contact at the time. This has Palmieri's band intact, may sound a bit more commercial, or rather more to the taste of the Salsa audience. There were several CD reissues.

 

14 - Cal Tjader  - Along Comes Cal - 1967

The poppish cover was supposed to attract that audience, but except for the pop hit cover of Along Comes Mary this was the typical Tjader mixture, this time with some Latin vocals. Chico O'Farrill was the arranger. Personnel on the back cover is not quite correct, only Los Bandidos was recorded live at El Matador with a splendid conga solo by Armando Peraza. The whole album never made it to CD, some tracks are on compilations.

 

15 - Cal Tjader  - Hip Vibrations - 1968

Another poppish cover -  this time it was justified by two covers of pop tunes along the typical Tjader mix. Benny Golson and Bobby Bryant shared the arrangements. For some reasons, the takes recorded in LA were rejected, and the whole album was re-done in New York six weeks later. Like I noted with the one before, the whole album never made it to CD, some tracks are on compilations.

 

16 - Cal Tjader  - The Prophet - 1969

Although the last one issued, the basic tracks for this were recorded prior to Hip Vibrations, but this time it took longer than expected to have strings, voices, flugelhorn and flute arranged and overdubbed in New York. I really would love to hear the quartet without the overdubs, as Joao Donato's organ playing is the epitome of good taste and a bit drowned out by them. This was reissued on CD twice, but only in Japan. Still your prefect summer evening album. Tjader and Donato were a perfect match.

 

For recordings details and corrections of the information on album covers and other les professional discographies (or what they called), please consult https://jazzdiscography.com/Artists/cal-tjader/cal-tjader-discography-part2.php which also shows you were the Penthouse sessions fit in. As I said before, they are the perfect amendment to the Verve studio albums.

Edited 21 hours ago by mikeweil

[Teasing the Korean]

13 hours ago, mikeweil said:

1 - In A Latin Bag -  1961 - basically his regular band with Paul Horn and Armando Peraza added. Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo had left, replaced by Wilfredo Vicente and Johnny Rae. Lonnie Hewitt played piano. Very elegant, very professional production, less casual than with Fantasy, but recorded in LA.

"Triste" (not to be confused with the Jobim tune) is the money cut on here, though the whole album is great.

13 hours ago, mikeweil said:

6 - Several Shades of Jade - 1963

This may be an attempt to profit on some type of exoctica fashion, but Lalo Shifrin's great arrangements make this a winner. New York studio guys play their asses off for a perfect backdrop for Tjader to solo on - this is as much a Schifrin as a Tjader album. 

Agreed, and I might go a tad further and call it a Schifrin album with Cal as guest soloist.

13 hours ago, mikeweil said:

7 - Breeze From The East - 1964

In an interview, Tjader confessed that he vomitted when he left the sudio after a mixing session. This may be exaggerated, but it definitely is the un-jazziest album he ever made. The number of preliminary sessions  and outtakes tells the story of how ill-conceived this mismatch of producer/arranger Stan Applebaum and Tjader was. In my ears, it fails even as an exotica album. Not nearly as Japanese as the cover suggests.

Completely agree.  It sucks as both jazz and exotica, although the version of "Black Orchid" is nice (and almost identical to the Fantasy version).

[mikeweil]

9 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

"Triste" (not to be confused with the Jobim tune) is the money cut on here, though the whole album is great.

The same tune is on Breeze From The East as Fuji!

[Teasing the Korean]

4 hours ago, mikeweil said:

The same tune is on Breeze From The East as Fuji!

And, needless to say, nowhere near as good.

[Teasing the Korean]

So it looks like I have all the Verve LPs with the exception of Hip Vibrations.  

From the first Fantasy period, I probably have about half of them.  

I think I have two Skye albums, and then a few scattered releases from after his return to Fantasy.

I typically gravitate toward the Verve albums, but there is so much great stuff from that first Fantasy period.  

 

[GA Russell]

Triste/Fuji is a favorite of mine as well!

I have all of the Skyes.  I'm a fan of everything on that label.

[mikeweil]

Let me continue with the four Skye releases. Next is the second Fantasy period in the 1970's, then Concord. I will deal with the Fantasy albums last, as they are the most complicated, re-issue-wise.

For info on the Skye label, please consult Doug Payne's excellent research: https://dougpayne.com/skye1.htm

1 - Solar Heat - 1968

Tjader's last Verve session was not yet issued when he went into the studio for his first album on the musician owned Skye label. On a superficial level, rather commercial in the selecion of pop covers and Latin stuff, but thanks to Gary McFarland's impeccable taste and professionalism it is perfect on all levels: sound, sidemen, arrangements ..... good for easy listening, but a closer listen reveals that it is so well done ..... Tjader's beautiful vibes sound is captured  perfectly. Joao Donato was brought in on organ, Tjader didn't like the usual Hammond stylings. Try to play it like that before you classify it as commercial. There were many reissues, partly bootlegs. I recommend the Dunhill Compact Classics CDs or the more recent Japanese reissues, which sound excellent. 

 

2 - Cal Tjader Sounds Out Burt Bacharach - 1968

The second studio album is all Burt Bacharach tunes - Solar Heat already included one. Tjader was quoted there in the liner that he just played the melody, as that is all you have to do with a Bacharach tune. He was right, but how beautifully did he play them! Same reissue situation.

 

3 - The Cal Tjader Quintet * Featuring Armando Perazza* – Latin + Jazz = Cal Tjader 

This was recorded live in Aspen, Colorado, in 1968, where Tjader played regularly, but not issued at the time. The first issue (on CD) was in 1990 and included a track from the other 1969 Aspen recording, probably to make up for short playing time. It may not have been Tjader's greatest band, but considering how much effort it is to maintain such an identifyable band sound, it is a very good recording. 

 

4 - Cal Tjader Plugs In - 1969

This 1969 live recording from Aspen was Tjader's fourth and last album on the label. What I said about the other one applies here as well. The Skye label folded soon due to financial problems, McFarland died in 1971. The LP had a nice foldout cover with photos from Tjader's career until then.

Edited 12 hours ago by mikeweil

[Niko]

Thanks for these posts, super useful... I just started my Tjader collection with "Last night when we were young" on Fantasy and might want to add more...