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Jazz Articles about Cal Tjader
Is the Jazz Detective Sherlock or Watson?
by Patrick Burnette
Few players have made the splash in the archival jazz game as Zev Feldman, who has discovered many lost jazz gems (and a little Fool's Gold) and shown how these issues can be events when packaged properly with good artwork and notes. This fortnight's show looks at two of his recent productions and two historical albums in the Latin Idiom. Did the jazz detective uncover more classics, or did his deductions go awry? Tune in to find out.Playlist ...
read moreCal Tjader: Catch The Groove: Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967
by Troy Dostert
It would be unusual to hear vibraphonist Cal Tjader mentioned alongside the all-time greats on his instrument. He is not remembered for being a fearless improviser like Bobby Hutcherson, or as deeply soulful as Milt Jackson, or as hard-swinging a presence as Lionel Hampton. Moreover, one will search in vain in his biography for the hard-fought personal struggles that have typically been the bread and butter of jazz legend: no tortured tales of substance abuse, or bouts with poverty or ...
read moreJazz at the Blackhawk: Reflections of Cal Tjader’s First Live Album
by Geo Thelen
The historic Blackhawk jazz club (1949-1963) was formerly located at 200 Hyde Street on the northeast corner of Turk Street in the heart of San Francisco's tenderloin district. The smoky neighborhood nightclub launched the career of Johnny Mathis, helped Dave Brubeck find an audience, and gave numerous national artists such as Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk a musically intimate space to experiment and record quality live albums. Arguably though, Bay Area vibraphonist Cal Tjader (pronounced Jay-der) was the most synonymous ...
read moreListeners' Favorites
by Marc Cohn
Every tenth show, we go through Mixcloud messages, emails, phone calls and 'stopped me on the street' comments to compile a list of tunes that grabbed you. Dr. Jazz offers some of the many selections that resonated with you from Shows 331 to 340. This is not just about the tracks that get the 'most votes,' but also the quality of the comments. The full list usually would take about 6 hours to play, so the doctor has to use ...
read moreCal Tjader: The Life and Recordings of the Man Who Revolutionized Latin Jazz
by S. Duncan Reid
The following is an excerpt from the Reaching for the Skye" chapter of Cal Tjader: The Life and Recordings of the Man Who Revolutionized Latin Jazz by S. Duncan Reid (McFarland, 2013). Tjader had reached the East Coast by November and on November 17, he arrived at Van Gelder Studio for a session ("Willow Weep for Me" and Joey Joey") that probably included tenor sax man Jimmy Heath and trumpeter Donald Byrd. Two days later, Heath, Byrd, ...
read moreCal Tjader & Stan Getz: Sextet
by Chris May
Cal Tjader / Stan GetzSextetOriginal Jazz Classics Remasters2011 (1958) The presence of Latin and Afro-Cuban enthusiast, vibraphonist Cal Tjader, has created a widespread misconception that Sextet was the album which sparked tenor saxophonist Stan Getz's fascination with Brazilian music and, ultimately, bossa nova. The notion has, over the years, been reinforced by the inclusion of pianist Vince Guaraldi's Ginza Samba," whose theme statements were played over a samba beat, and which, ...
read moreCal Tjader: Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958-1980
by David Rickert
Cal Tjader began his career as a stalwart member of the West Coast jazz scene, swinging his vibes through breezy versions of standards with the likes of Vince Guaraldi and Stan Getz. Along the way he delved into Latin music and after that it colored almost everything he did. His progression as an artist is explored on this compilation of performances from the Monterey Jazz Festivals, spanning the time period from 1958 to 1980. The first five ...
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