Cal Tjader

Biography

Accomplished percussionist (bongos, congas, timbales, cencerro), vibraphonist and pianist, one of the first commercially successful artists to fuse jazz with Latin music. The son of vaudevillians, Tjader (pronounced 'Chayder') began his career on the West Coast as a four year old solo tap dancer, nicknamed 'Mr. Talent' by his proud parents. Having graduated from San Francisco State College, he arrived on the music scene as a Dixieland drummer until he got his big break by way of joining the Dave Brubeck Trio in 1949. In 1951, following a brief spell with Alvino Rey and having added vibes to his repertoire, he went on to become a member of the acclaimed George Shearing Quintet. His year with Shearing exposed Tjader to Latin music (especially mambo) and to top-flight musicians in the genre like Mongo Santamaria and Willie Bobo. He became determined to have his own Cuban-sounding band akin to those of Tito Puente and Machito. In 1954, Tjader formed his Modern Mambo Quintet, recruiting Santamaria and Bobo, plus the pianist and composer Vince Guaraldi with whom he had earlier recorded 'Vibratharp', his first album for the Fantasy label. Switching to Verve in 1961, Tjader's popularity and reputation spread quickly and eventually attracted performers like Donald Byrd, Lalo Schifrin and Kenny Burrell to his organisation. His biggest single hit was the track "Soul Sauce" (1964) from his album of the same name, recorded on the East Coast in November 1964. The song was a reworking of the original Dizzy Gillespie composition "Guarachi Guaro". Among later noteworthy hits were "Cubano Chant" and "Tumbao". During his most prolific period from the late 50's to the mid-70's, Tjader recorded with many renowned artists, including Stan Getz (1958), Eddie Palmieri (the much acclaimed albums El Sonido Nuevo, 1966; and Bamboleate, 1967) and Charlie Byrd (1974). In 1980, Tjader wound up recording with a sextet for Concord Picante (a subsidiary of the Concord label) and won a Grammy Award for 'La Onda Va Bien'. One of his many excellent contributions, "Shoshana" (1984) was released posthumously. For many years a pacesetter for small Latin jazz combos, Tjader was instrumental in popularising the genre and is acknowledged to have influenced a generation of later stars, including Carlos Santana.