Latin Kick (Remastered 2024) Cal Tjader

• 1 Invitation (Remastered 2024) 04:14
• 2 Lover, Come Back To Me (Remastered 2024) 03:43
• 3 September Song (Remastered 2024) 03:01
• 4 Will You Still Be Mine (Remastered 2024) 03:29
• 5 I Love Paris (Remastered 2024) 05:56
• 6 Tropicville (Remastered 2024) 03:14
• 7 Moonlight In Vermont (Remastered 2024) 02:56
• 8 Bye Bye Blues (Remastered 2024) 03:37
• 9 Manuel's Mambo (Remastered 2024) 03:17
• 10 All The Things You Are (Remastered 2024) 04:10
• 11 Blues From Havana (Remastered 2024) 03:05
• Total Runtime 40:42

Info for Latin Kick (Remastered 2024)

Legend has it that Tjader's music has been collected in more than 200 tracks. There's a reason for that: his pioneering work as a bandleader and (mostly) vibraphonist in the Latin jazz genre is an irresistible interweaving of Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz fundamentals that instantly transports you to another time and place.

‘Everything boils in a joyful yet disciplined way,’ says AllMusic of Latin Kick, his unforgettable 1956 release. ’Tjader's elliptical, swinging vibraphone sounds lead the ensemble brilliantly.’ That's true: You have to try very hard not to feel a contact rush when listening to upbeat pieces like his cha-cha version of Cole Porter's ‘I Love Paris’ and the ironically carefree ‘Lover Come Back to Me’, a cover version of Oscar Hammerstein II's song.

"Cal Tjader's era-defining mixture of Afro-Cuban rhythms and mainstream jazz solos undergoes a bit of a horizontal expansion in these 1956 sessions. The tracks are often longer than on previous albums, finally taking advantage of the logistics of the LP, and as a result, both the Latin and jazz elements benefit. Tenor saxophonist Brew Moore gets extended chances to blow in an easy-grooving Getz-like manner on several tracks, and on "I Love Paris," Luis Miranda (congas) and Bayardo Velarde (timbales) engage in some spirited percussion battles over the vamping of the brothers Duran (Manuel on piano and Carlos on bass). Everything cooks in a bright yet disciplined manner, and Tjader's elliptical, swinging vibes preside genially over the ensemble." (Richard S. Ginell, AMG)

Cal Tjader, vibraphone
Brew Moore, saxophone
Manuel Duran, piano
Carlos Duran, bass
Luis Miranda, congas
Bayardo Velarde, timbales

Digitally remastered

Cal Tjader
Born July 16, 1925, in St. Louis, Missouri, Cal Tjader was originally a drummer and played with George Shearing. He came to prominence, however, as a vibraphonist. I remember Mongo Santamaria accompanying him on congas at the "Village Gate" in 1961. I never heard anything as exciting in my life! My career was beginning to take shape--even if I didn't realize it at the time.

Cal Tjader had studied music in San Francisco and had come up through the ranks with Dave Brubeck, Alvino Rey, Willie Bobo, Vince Guaraldi, and Mongo Santamaria. His discography is enormous and includes close to one hundred albums as leader and many as "sideman"--with the likes of Duke Ellington, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Rosemary Clooney, Tania Maria, Anita O'Day, and Carmen McRae. As a songwriter, his work appears on albums by Poncho Sanchez, Bobby Shew, Clare Fischer, Jerry Gonzales, and Stan Getz.

In 1963 Creed Taylor signed him with Verve, and Tjader worked with Klaus Ogermann and other producers to create some of the hippest albums of the 1960s. His single of "Soul Sauce" ("Guachi Guara") briefly entered the Top Forty charts.

Although Tjader was often slammed by jazz critics for pandering to popular tastes, he was well-respected among the Latin musicians with whom he worked, including Candido, Armando Peraza, Eddie Palmieri, and Tito Puente. In his later years, he came to be recognized as one of the fathers of acid jazz. His concord album "La Onda Va Bien" won a Grammy award in 1979.

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