Cal Tjader's The Prophet (recorded in 1968 in New York & Los Angeles and released the same year on Verve) captures the vibraphonist at a moment of artistic expansion, blending his signature Latin jazz with a more orchestrated, textural approach. Arranged/conducted by Don Sebesky and produced by Esmond Edwards, the album features an ensemble including Joao Donato (organ), Red Mitchell (bass), Ed Thigpen (drums), and Hubert Laws (flute). Drawing on a broad palette of jazz, Latin, and blues influences, The Prophet reflects Tjader's growing interest in composition and arrangement, balancing melodic elegance with rhythmic sophistication. Several of the album's compositions were written by Brazilian pianist Joao Donato, adding a harmonic warmth and subtle bossa nova influence to the overall character. The Verve Vault series is always mastered from analog tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Callen Radcliffe Tjader, Jr., the master of Latin rhythms, was born of Swedish descent in St. Louis on July 16, 1925. He first attracted national attention when he joined the Lionel Hampton band. Cal played and recorded with several of Dave Brubeck's groups, and led his own band for a brief period, before joining George Shearing in 1952. It was during the Shearing period that Cal developed what was to become a lifelong love affair with Latin music. In 1954, Cal reformed his band and began a highly successful touring and recording career that resulted in over fifty albums and hundreds of concerts. Probably more than any other non-Latin musician, Tjader helped to popularize the fusion of Latin and jazz tempos. In 1978 he recorded these 6 tracks at the infamous Filmways Wally Heider recording studios in Hollywood, California. At the session was an all-star band including Gary Foster and Kurt McGettrick on saxophones, Robb Fisher on bass and Latin music legends Ponco Sanchez on congas and Willie Bobo on timbales. The recording has been unavailable for many years and now makes it's return on CD and digital. Here's what the original album notes say about the session: The sound of the group remained authentically Latin, undiminished in explosive force. This album is characterized by it's searing brass and exciting percussions. The insistent beat energized Latin dancers, while the interplay of basic jazz elements raised it above just good dance music. The major goal of this recording was to retain the essential live flavor of the music and performers. Close-miking techniques were not used on this recording. Instead, four overhead microphones plus a direct input for the bass were employed to capture the sound of eleven musicians together with the correct acoustic perspective between instruments. Listening to the playback of the recording session was a rewarding experience for all involved.
Amazonas finds legendary vibraphonist Cal Tjader deep in his '70s Brazilian jazz fusion bag, operating at the sonic intersection between Rio and California, backed by a pairing of Airto Moreira on production, and George Duke on arrangements, and guest performances by Hermeto Pascoal, David Amaro, and Raul de Souza. This Jazz Dispensary Top Shelf Series was cut from the original analog tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI, and comes packaged in a tip-on jacket.
The complete album + 1 bonus track - limited edition pressing of 500 copies on 180g vinyl. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, vibraphonist, and multi-instrumentalist Cal Tjader is known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. Although he engaged in a wide variety of jazz idioms, the music of Cuba, the Caribbean, and Latin America, were his primary focus and inspiration. In April 1954, he formed The Cal Tjader Modern Mambo Sextet and recorded several albums in rapid succession for Fantasy Records. Demasiado Caliente (1960), presented here is one of the sextet's most highly rated.
Cal Tjader - "Latin Kick (Original Jazz Classics Series)" / Cal Tjader fuses Afro-Cuban rhythms and mainstream jazz solos in his1956 album, Latin Kick. Alongside Tjader (vibraphone) the album also features Brew Moore (sax), Luis Miranda (congas), Bayardo Velarde (timbales), Manuel Duran (piano), and Carlos Duran (bass). This new edition of the album is released as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with all-analog mastering from the original tapes at Cohearent Audio and presented in a Tip-On Jacket.
