Cal Tjader: Plays Harold Arlen and West Side Story

Like the recently reissued Our Blues, this double CD presents Cal Tjader before he seriously delved into the Latin tunes that made his name in jazz circles. Unlike the previous album, which presented the vibraphonist as a serious improviser, Tjader is content to let the songs take the center stage; about three-fourths of this CD features a string section in the background. The strategy works well. Tjader cuts loose on a few Arlen standards before settling into melodic passages on the latter half of the Kern album. The treatment of “West Side Story” falls short of the excellent Kenton record of the same score, but is still quite effective and original. Once again the strings are a welcome treatment to what many consider to be the finest of Broadway plays and Tjader expertly delves into the melodies with restrained improvising to create a lovely treatment of Bernstein’s melodies. Tjader’s Latin albums are still the best he has to offer, but this CD presents the artist as a successful interpreter of two composers’ gems.

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