I was having lunch with an artist friend a couple weeks ago and she said she didn't much like jazz. I said, “What about Latin jazz?” To which she replied, “Oh, that's different. I don't even think of that as jazz.” And it's true: The best of that genre, to me, has more Latin than it does jazz. That is certainly the case for Latino con Cal Tjader which finds vibraphonist Cal Tjader leading five different ensembles across 15 tracks with Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria along for the whole ride. Meanwhile, cats like Lonnie Hewitt, Vince Guaraldi, Al McKibbon, and Paul Horn dip in and out.
With Swedish ancestry, Tjader was born in St. Louis and raised in San Mateo, California. And his choice of instrument had very little history in Afro-Caribbean music, making him an unlikely ambassador for Latin jazz, and yet... he is considered one of its most revolutionary voices.
Across a career of collaborating with Eddie Palmieri, Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck, Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, and oodles of others, Tjader was considered by many to be the most successful non-Latino artist in Latin music and nowhere in his catalog is that more clearly evidenced than here. AllMusic.com sums up the effort this way: “The music really cooks, with torrid percussion, inspired ensembles, and occasional solos from the sidemen. This is Latin jazz at its finest, including a definitive version of Santamaria's 'Afro Blue.'"
Originally released in 1962, Latino con Cal Tjader got a re-released for its 60th anniversary in 2022. So it seems Palmieri's efforts to keep the form alive have worked.
Hear the whole episode May 20 at 6 am, 12 pm, & 6 pm PT.
