Cal Tjader's death

[DRD]

Poncho Sanchez was there when Cal died. He has told me that some people were confused about the exact date of Cal's death for some reason. We both speculated that it was the time difference in the Philippines. According to Poncho, it was Wed May 5, 1982. Because Cal was a second father to him, it is etched firmly in his mind. Also, as a Chicano, Cinco De Mayo is very important to Poncho. Cal's death on that day is a special coincedence for him. Poncho was with Cal for seven and a half years, from December 31, 1974 to the end. That is the longest tenure of any Tjader sideman. Lonnie Hewitt also was with Cal for over seven years but it was non concurrent. Two mid period stints: Early 1959-late 1961, mid 1962- mid 1966 and December 31, 1974- June 1976. Peraza had two seperate sixties stints totaling seven years. Concurrently speaking, Rob Fisher is second with six plus years: Early 1976 to end. Al Zulaica also had six plus years 1966-1972. Nobody else has more than five. The average tenure for Tjader sidemen was one to two years. It didn't necessarily have to do with bad behavior (although that did occasionally happen) but Cal was always creating new sounds and changing his sidemen periodically was part of that.

[Teasing the Korean]

Interesting about the sidemen. The differing lineups are much more readily detected on the Verve albums than the Fantasy albums, to my ears. Each of those Verve albums really has its own character. The Fantasy albums - at least the Latin ones - have an overall more uniform quality from LP to LP. I don't mean that negatively, BTW; They're all solid.

The latest Cal Tjader albums I have are an album on Skye with the wonderful Gary McFarland and then two he did when he was back on Fantasy, with electric piano. I never picked up any of the Concord stuff. How does his 70s output compare with the earlier stuff?

[Ken Dryden]

One of the things I own with featuring Tjader is a live concert excerpt from the 1977 St. Francis Jazz Festival, aired on NPR's Jazz Alive! I'm not sure of any of the personnel, though Poncho Sanchez has to be present.

Dave Brubeck described Tjader as a war hero who served in the Pacific theater. He said that the vibraphonist ignored his physician about touring overseas, evidently he had a heart condition needing treatment.

[GA Russell]

I never picked up any of the Concord stuff. How does his 70s output compare with the earlier stuff?

In March of '04 Concord released a two-CD set called The Best of the Concord Years. I hadn't heard any of his Concord work till I got that set.

Tjader recorded six albums for Concord. Asuming that the tracks selected really are the best of those six LPs, I would say that his work for Concord was not as good as that of his first Fantasy stint, Verve and Skye.

I've only heard one album from his second Fantasy stint, Tambu, which I like; but I can't make a generalization based on one album.

[mikeweil]

Interesting about the sidemen. The differing lineups are much more readily detected on the Verve albums than the Fantasy albums, to my ears. Each of those Verve albums really has its own character.

That is partly due to the fact that they used studio musicians rather than Cal's working bands for most of the Verve albums. Or they used a part of his band among the studio guys for special recording projects.

Among the Verve LPs, only those marked * are with his working band of the time.

Verve V6-8419* Cal Tjader - In A Latin Bag

Verve V6-8459* Cal Tjader - Saturday Night, Sunday Night At The Blackhawk

Verve V6-8470 Cal Tjader Plays The Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil

Verve V6-8472 Anita O'Day & Cal Tjader - Time For Two

Verve V6-8507 Cal Tjader - Several Shades Of Jade

Verve V6-8531* Cal Tjader - Soña Libré

Verve V6-8575 Cal Tjader - Breeze From The East

Verve V6-8585 Cal Tjader - Warm Wave

Verve V6-8614 Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce

Verve V6-8626 Cal Tjader - Soul Bird: Whiffenpoof

Verve V6-8637 Cal Tjader - Soul Burst

Verve V6-8651 Cal Tjader & Eddie Palmieri - el sonido nuevo

Verve V6-8671 Cal Tjader - Along Comes Cal

Verve V6-8730 Cal Tjader - Hip Vibrations

Verve V6-8769 Cal Tjader - The Prophet

[Teasing the Korean]

That is partly due to the fact that they used studio musicians rather than Cal's working bands for most of the Verve albums. Or they used a part of his band among the studio guys for special recording projects.

Among the Verve LPs, only those marked * are with his working band of the time...

That makes sense, especially on the albums with large groups he did with Ogerman, Sebeskey, Schifrin and Fischer. I really love Several Shades of Jade.

[DRD]

I never picked up any of the Concord stuff. How does his 70s output compare with the earlier stuff?

In March of '04 Concord released a two-CD set called The Best of the Concord Years. I hadn't heard any of his Concord work till I got that set.

Tjader recorded six albums for Concord. Asuming that the tracks selected really are the best of those six LPs, I would say that his work for Concord was not as good as that of his first Fantasy stint, Verve and Skye.

I've only heard one album from his second Fantasy stint, Tambu, which I like; but I can't make a generalization based on one album.

The vast majority of Cal's seventies work was for Fantasy. Concord mainly represents the early eighties. La Onda Va Bien was the only Concord LP recorded in the seventies (July, 1979). If you want to know Cal's work in the seventies, check out his second go round with Fantasy. Although not as great as his fifties period, there are many excellent albums to choose from. The early '70's LPs "Tjader", "Last Bolero in Berkeley", "Puttin' It All Together" and "Last Night When We Were Young" are not yet available on CD. Tambu is a very fine LP and I would also strongly recommend The Grace Cathedral Concert, Amazonas and Here and There to start with but you really can't go wrong with Tjader. He was simply a force of nature. Only Breeze From The East (1963), an album he was pushed into, is what you would call a mediocre album but even that one has a few good cuts. In my humble opinion, The Best of the Concord Years is not merely good but an outstanding sampling of his Concord work. Although his health was in decline, Tjader's artistry continued to grow and his Concord albums reflect this. Again, to my ears, all his Concord LPs were superb. The tragic fact is that Cal was more in demand at the end of his career than he had been since the Soul Sauce years.

Edited October 18, 2006 by Tjader Biographer

[mikeweil]

If you want to know Cal's work in the seventies, check out his second go round with Fantasy. Although not as great as his fifties period, there are many excellent albums to choose from. The early '70's LPs "Tjader", "Last Bolero in Berkeley", "Puttin' It All Together" and "Last Night When We Were Young" are not yet available on CD.

Tjader was briefly available on CD in Japan - but I couldn't get a copy so far.

[mikeweil]

Only Breeze From The East (1963), an album he was pushed into, is what you would call a mediocre album but even that one has a few good cuts.

Interesting that you mention that one - it's the only among the Verves that I have a hard time listening to.

[DRD]

Interesting about the sidemen. The differing lineups are much more readily detected on the Verve albums than the Fantasy albums, to my ears. Each of those Verve albums really has its own character.

That is partly due to the fact that they used studio musicians rather than Cal's working bands for most of the Verve albums. Or they used a part of his band among the studio guys for special recording projects.

Among the Verve LPs, only those marked * are with his working band of the time.

Verve V6-8419* Cal Tjader - In A Latin Bag

Verve V6-8459* Cal Tjader - Saturday Night, Sunday Night At The Blackhawk

Verve V6-8470 Cal Tjader Plays The Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil

Verve V6-8472 Anita O'Day & Cal Tjader - Time For Two

Verve V6-8507 Cal Tjader - Several Shades Of Jade

Verve V6-8531* Cal Tjader - Soña Libré

Verve V6-8575 Cal Tjader - Breeze From The East

Verve V6-8585 Cal Tjader - Warm Wave

Verve V6-8614 Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce

Verve V6-8626 Cal Tjader - Soul Bird: Whiffenpoof

Verve V6-8637 Cal Tjader - Soul Burst

Verve V6-8651 Cal Tjader & Eddie Palmieri - el sonido nuevo

Verve V6-8671 Cal Tjader - Along Comes Cal

Verve V6-8730 Cal Tjader - Hip Vibrations

Verve V6-8769 Cal Tjader - The Prophet

It's worth pointing out that not all the albums combining Cal's working band with studio personnel were speciality projects. For instance, the majority of the tracks on Soul Sauce feature Cal's working band of the time ( Lonnie Hewitt on piano, John Terry Hilliard on bass, Johnny Rae on drums and Armando Peraza on percussion). Alberto Valdes joins the band on percussion and Willie Bobo on jawbone and vocals for the title track only. The remaining cuts feature guest musicians plus Peraza. For Soul Bird, seven tracks feature only Cal's band (same as on Soul Sauce) and the five other cuts feature studio musicians joined by Cal's conguero Armando Peraza. Both sessions were recorded at different times. Note on Soul Bird: the LP's personnel listings are not entirely correct. The CD corrects the inexcusable errors. Lastly, Along Comes Cal features two live tracks with Cal's band (Al Zulaica on piano, Stan Gilbert on bass, Carl Burnett on drums and Armando Peraza on congas). The remaining tracks feature guest artists plus Armando Peraza, again recorded at a different time. The specialty projects were Time For Two , which featured Cal's working band of the time: Johnny Rae, Freddie Schreiber and Lonnie Hewitt. Although Hewitt was no longer a Tjader sideman at that point (he had just quit Cal's band in late 1961), he did come back to record some cuts with Cal just for this LP. Changuito (not officially listed but he was there) did some gigs with Cal at the time but I have yet to definitely determine whether he was a regular band member but the evidence so far says that he was. Only pianist Bob Corwin came for studio work on some tracks. Another specialty project was Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil, which featured a woodwind section and other additional guest musicians. Cal's working band was also featured: Clare Fischer, Hewitt's replacement, did the arrangements and was on piano, Freddie Schreiber on bass, Johnny Rae on drums and timbales and Changuito on congas. In addition, Paul Horn was on flute in the woodwind section. It's true that Horn was never a regular member of Cal's working band. However, Horn did work a number of Cal's big concert gigs such as the Hollywood Bowl (exact date still to be determined) and the Monterey Jazz Festivals in October 1958 and October 1959. Horn was also featured in the classic "preview concert" held indoors at the Sunset School Auditorium in Carmel on April 20, 1959. Cal saved Jimmy Lyons bacon with that concert (The 1958 Monterey Festival concert had many great artists but suffered from poor ticket distribution). All serious Tjader fans have Concert by the Sea Vols. 1 & 2 and or the Monterey Concerts CD. Horn also did many studio recordings with Cal. He was definitely part of Cal's family of musicians from 1958-62. Lastly, Johnny Rae was the only band member to participate in Several Shades of Jade. Ditto for Lonnie Hewitt on Breeze From The East.

[Teasing the Korean]

I like those funky early 70s albums CT did for Fantasy, but overall I'm not crazy about the vibes/Fender Rhodes combination. The timbres are too similar, and at times they sound muddy together. Did he ditch the rhodes at some point?

[DRD]

I like those funky early 70s albums CT did for Fantasy, but overall I'm not crazy about the vibes/Fender Rhodes combination. The timbres are too similar, and at times they sound muddy together. Did he ditch the rhodes at some point?

Cal pianists alternated between piano and Fender Rhodes both in concert and in the studio during that time period. I prefer acoustic piano as well. However, Fender Rhodes sounds great on many of the tunes Cal chose to do. The arrangements are wonderful. I don't think they sounded muddy but that's just a difference of opinion. Cal never ditched the Fender Rhodes completely. If you want to hear a Concord release without Fender Rhodes, listen to The Shining Sea and Good Vibes. They are available on the CDs Both Sides of the Coin and Cool Fire respectively.

[mikeweil]

Thanks, Duncan, for the specific analysis of the Verve sessions personnel - what I wanted to say is that only three featured the working band as was, without any guest artist. I am aware that other projects just expanded on it.

BTW, the liner notes for Along Comes Cal are easily misread: there is only one track featuring the live band: Los Bandidos. If you have the LP, read the credits carefully. I made the same mistake, as did Walter Bruyninkx. See the discussion of this on the Cal Tjader Forum.

[DRD]

Thanks, Duncan, for the specific analysis of the Verve sessions personnel - what I wanted to say is that only three featured the working band as was, without any guest artist. I am aware that other projects just expanded on it.

BTW, the liner notes for Along Comes Cal are easily misread: there is only one track featuring the live band: Los Bandidos. If you have the LP, read the credits carefully. I made the same mistake, as did Walter Bruyninkx. See the discussion of this on the Cal Tjader Forum.

Michael, Thanks for the info on Along Comes Cal. The liners are somewhat misleading. I was aware that you knew of the exact personnel for the Verve LPs. You are a serious Tjader collector but not everyone who posts on this site is. That information was for those who may not be as familiar with all the details of Cal's career as you are. It was important that they understood just how much Cal's band participated on the LPs. Your statement was quite general and didn't mention that the working band did record on Cal's regular LPs (with guest(s) musicians). They didn't just work together on speciality albums like Time For Two as you stated. Just more specific information for those are interested. No big thing.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I'm thinking of getting another batch of Japanese Victor reissues. There are some Cal Tajaders amongst them.

41870; cal tjader; mambo with tjader

41871; cal tjader; tjader

41872; cal tjader; los ritmos calientes

Anyone like to say anything about these? I noted that "Tjader" was difficult to get outside Japan.

MG

[mikeweil]

I got one of those from Dusty Groove at discount price.

The 1st and 3rd are from 1954-55, pure mambo jazz in small group settings; the 3rd has a lot of small tracks as percussion features.

"Tjader" is from 1970 and features his soul jazz hit "I showed them".

Yes it's rare - seems this is still an overstock from the first Japanese pressing - get it, even if you don't like it you can sell it later on. I doubt Concord will get this one out soon.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks Mike.

MG

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

Verve V6-8730 Cal Tjader - Hip Vibrations

Verve V6-8769 Cal Tjader - The Prophet

I do not believe i have seen these, are they more 60s pop lps?

[mikeweil]

Hip Vibrations never was on CD, only single tracks on compilations.

Mostly pop tunes, but nicely arranged by Benny Golson and Bobby Bryant with good solos all around, Herbie Hancock among them. LP copies in good condition are easily found.

The Prophet was on CD in Japan but hard to get elsewhere or pricey. It has a basic quartet of Tjader, Joao Donato on organ (!), Red Mitchell, and Ed Thigpen, with overdubbed trumpet, flute (who take one solo each), sparse voices and strings, arranged by Don Sebesky - it's much more tasteful than one might expect, in fact it is one of my favorite Tjader albums. The basic quartet plays so well I'd love to hear it without the overdubs. Donata was a great jazz organist when required.