Cal Tjader: Soul Sauce [ENDLESS HAPPINESS]

Why you'll love it

This Endless Happiness edition presents the original nine-track album on vinyl. AllMusic gave it 4.5 stars and called it one of the highlights of Tjader's catalogue.

About the album

Cal Tjader was a vibraphonist from San Francisco who fell hard for Afro-Cuban rhythm, and Soul Sauce is where that love affair sounds most at ease. Recorded in New York in November 1964 for Verve, it moves between mambo, samba, bolero and boogaloo without ever breaking a sweat.

The title track is Tjader's take on Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo's "Guachi Guaro," with June Magruder's voice popping up over Willie Bobo, Armando Peraza and Alberto Valdes on percussion. "Afro Blue," cut at Van Gelder Studio, adds Kenny Burrell on guitar, Donald Byrd on trumpet and Jimmy Heath on tenor sax. Pianist Lonnie Hewitt wrote "Pantano" and "Tanya" and co-wrote "Leyte" with Tjader, Peraza brings "Maramoor Mambo," and the set closes with Rodgers and Hart's "Spring Is Here" and Clare Fischer's "João."

AllMusic praised its smart arrangements and subtly provocative vibe solos over intricate percussion. The arrangements leave plenty of air around the vibes, so every mallet stroke rings out over the congas and timbales. Sixty-odd years on it still sounds like the coolest cocktail party you weren't invited to, and now you can host it yourself.

Also at Kops: more Cal Tjader on vinyl · browse Classic Jazz

Tracklist

Listen

On Verve / Endless Happiness, a reissue of the 1964 album.