The following is an excerpt from the "Reaching for the Skye" chapter of Cal Tjader: The Life and Recordings of the Man Who Revolutionized Latin Jazz by S. Duncan Reid (McFarland, 2013). Creed Taylor ...

Multi-instrumentalist Cal Tjader has been gone for over forty years. Had he lived, he would be in his nineties today. The West Coast scene he entered, first as a drummer, then as a vibraphonist, was a ...

Born of Swedish American parents in St. Louis in 1925, Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. would have seemed an unlikely candidate to become a champion of Latin jazz. But as pianist and arranger Eddie ...

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Cal Tjader’s 1976 Latin jazz-rock fusion album Amazonas reissued on 180g vinyl offers lush vibes, killer solos, and essential listening. When I first started collecting Cal Tjader records, ...

I have always enjoyed vibraphonist Cal Tjader’s music, and the way he consistently delivered it. I find his work subtle and nuanced, but it always seems to swing whether he’s playing a ballad or an up ...

Latin jazz artist Cal Tjader would have turned 90 years old this month. He’s often considered an unsung hero in the jazz world. Writer Duncan Reid talks about his book, “Cal Tjader The Life and ...

What explains the relative anonymity of Cal Tjader, likely the only jazz musician to record with Dave Brubeck, Tito Puente and Charlie Palmieri?

When people talk about 1950s West Coast jazz, they’re usually referring to the music of Dave Brubeck and Shelly Manne, Shorty Rogers and Bud Shank. But there’s another California jazz sound from the ...

Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. (July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) crafted one the sleekest and most distinctive sounds in Latin jazz. His cool, shimmering, jazz vibes, gliding fluidly atop fiery, hot ...