Cal Tjader

Within one of the most complex musical categories yet to surface, Cal Tjader quietly pioneered the genre as a jazz vibraphonist, composer, arranger and bandleader from the 1950s through the 1980s. Reid tells the life story of a humble musician, written in a familiar, conversational tone that reveals Tjader’s complex charisma. Tjader left behind a legacy and a labyrinth of influence, attested by his large audience and innovation that would change the course of jazz. Expanded and revised, this intimate biography now includes additional interviews and anecdotes from Tjader’s family, bandmates, and community, print research, and rare photographs, presenting a full history of an undervalued musician, as well as a detailed account of the progression of Latin Jazz.

S. Duncan Reid was a music critic for the Thirteenth Moon (1994–1996) and has written for Wax Poetics and Jazz Podium (Germany). He lives in California.

S. Duncan Reid

Foreword by Gary Foster

Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 414
Bibliographic Info: 65 photos, glossary, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7134-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4024-2
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Foreword by Gary Foster 1
Preface 3
One. Tap Dancing with Bojangles to Playing with Brubeck 5
Two. Tjader Plays Mambo and Tjazz 39
Three. Reaching for the Skye 117
Four. Last Bolero in Berkeley 187
Five. Flying with Concord 247
Epilogue 275
Appendix 1. An Interview with Elizabeth A. Tjader 281
Appendix 2. An Interview with Robert C. Tjader 290
Musical Glossary by Michael Weil 295
Discography by Michael Weil and S. Duncan Reid 299
Chapter Notes 367
Bibliography and Sources 381
Index 387

• “Reid is a talented storyteller who has seemingly left no stone unturned in his research. It is the kind of volume that will encourage readers to seek and hear his recordings… a very fast-paced and an easy read… essential.” —The New York City Jazz Record

• “Provided plenty of information, some quite provocative, and, in doing so, has filled a gap in documenting a musician who achieved one of history’s most compelling fusions of jazz and Latin music…strongly recommended”—ARSC Journal

• “A meticulously researched and detailed account…fills a gap in the history of Latin jazz and leaves a soulful legacy of ‘good vibes’ about a jazz great”—New Books in Jazz

• “Throughout the biography, S. Duncan Reid deals with his subject quite honestly… treating Tjader as a flawed but warm-hearted human being who made a major contribution to music. One learns a great deal from reading this work and is entertaining along the way, leading one to go back and explore Cal Tjader’s recordings. Go out of your way to get this book!”—Los Angeles Jazz Scene