Fantasies of Cuban Jazz

I have long since acquired a fondness for Latin Jazz. Listening to musicians such as Paquito D’Riviera and Arturo Sandoval has provided much delight over the years. However, I have missed a lot of prominent people in the genre. I have seen the name Cal Tjader for many years. He is probably the greatest non Latin player in Latin Jazz. He was born in St. Louis but somehow the Latin schools of jazz captured his heart. He recorded a lot of music for Fantasy Records. There were always many releases by Tjader listed in the Fantasy catalog. I was always curious but never really picked up any of his music.

Recently a friend gave me a copy of Cuban Fantasy. Some people have great intuition when it comes to gifts. This was originally a two record set from 1977. It was recorded at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. It has been released as a single disc. The album comes from a pair of shows performed that June. I would also want to note that there is another album called Here that was recorded during the same pair of shows.

Tjader employed a sextet for this session. Tjader played vibes, timbales and percussion. The other musicians included Clare Fischer on electric piano, Bob Redfield on electric guitar, Rob Fisher on bass, Pete Riso on drums, and Poncho Sanchez on congas and percussion. I am unfamiliar with all these musicians except Sanchez who has recorded with people such as Dizzy Gillespie.

I was unsure what to expect. I just knew it would be Latin flavored jazz. I was curious because the notes on the back cover cited Carlos Santana being strongly influenced by Tjader. That is high praise in my book. This merely added to my excitement at discovering this music. Tjader tended to prefer an Afro-Cuban style of jazz. This is music heavy in percussion. That is a characteristic that quickly asserts itself from the first track.

The disc kicks off with the title track of the album. Cuban Fantasy is a Ray Bryant composition. Tjader gets things going with his vibes. He gets a good beat going backed by Sanchez on congas. Longtime Tjader fans know that the great Mongo Santamaria recorded with Tjader on his early recordings so Sanchez had some big shoes to fill. He is a great player and proved to be well up to the task.

The songs here tend to be longer jams. Four of the eight tracks extend for over ten minutes. It is noted that Tjader scored a hit with the Gillespie composition Guachi Guara that was less than two and a half minutes. The version recorded here is about three times longer. This showcases the improvisational aspect of jazz. The musicians are all allowed to open up and play. At times, Tjader can be downright hypnotic with his vibes. Guarabe was written by pianist Fischer. The interplay between Fischer and Tjader can be enchanting.

The shortest track on the disc is a cover of the Mongo Santamaria song Tu Crees Que?. This clocks in at 5:46. They do a swinging version. The percussion tends to simmer throughout the recording. I can see where Santana was influenced by this music. The percussion tends to dominate the festivities. It doesn’t explode the way Santana does but this is jazz not rock. Tjader plays timbale on this track. They showcase the finest in Cuban style jazz here.

Descargas Cachao was written by a famous Cuban bassist named Israel Lopez “Cachao”. I am unfamiliar with Lopez but the notes credit him with being “widely regarded as the inventor of mambo.” The notes also explain that while the word Descargas is Spanish for discharge, it is Cuban slang for jam. Tjader jams it out for over ten minutes. There is a rock flavor here. Many felt that Tjader added Redfield in an effort to be more modern. Redfield does wear a bit of a Santana influence. That brings things full circle.

A track like Silenciosa is a pretty song. The rhythm here is slowed down and allowed to simmer at a nice casual pace. This shows Tjader’s affection for melody was also very strong. It’s a relaxing piece of music that augments the more intense rhythms perfectly. Manuel Deeghit is Tjader’s own composition. It is the longest song on the disc. It extends for over thirteen minutes. This is also a percussionist’s delight but like most of the songs on this disc, there is also a strong melody.

I was very impressed with this disc. I would strongly recommend it to fans of Latin music and Latin jazz. It features exciting performances with stellar musicianship. All the players here are top notch. This is a disc that has found its way into my regular rotation. If you like Arturo Sandoval or Santana, you will likely find something to dig on this disc. It’s an inspiring set from a now deceased artist. I fully intend to seek out more Cal Tjader to add to my collection.

The track listing:

1. Cuban Fantasy
2. Guarabe
3. Tamancho no Samba (Samba Blim)
4. Tu Crees Que?
5. Silenciosa
6. Descargas Cachao
7. Manuel Deeghit
8. Guachi Guara (a.k.a Soul Sauce)