Cal Tjader, d.1986

The Cal Tjader story is so well known there is next to nothing to add. Tjader was a great jazz bandleader who nurtured the talents of many future leaders and first-call players. He cut an enormity of hip yet successful albums over several decades. California cannot claim many other jazz stars of his stature.

Tjader's album legacy spans roughly three periods. The first is the long series of Latin and jazz albums on Fantasy. Some are better than others, but the Ritmo Caliente sets represent fairly well. The second stage is his Verve LPs, when mod, mid-1960s experimentation led to exoticism beyond just the new boogaloo sounds and collaborations with Eddie Palmieri. In the third stage, mainly back on Fantasy, Tjader "brought it all together" with different all-star lineups playing both hip Latin and soul jazz.

Buying: The Verve and later LPs rarely disappoint. The earlier Fantasy LPs can be too much of a good thing, although at least reissues can clear up the noise problems typical of red-vinyl Fantasy.

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