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. He lives in San Francisco.

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments

Foreword by Gary Foster

Preface

One. Tap Dancing with Bojangles to Playing with Brubeck

Two. Tjader Plays Mambo and Tjazz

Three. Reaching for the Skye

Four. Last Bolero in Berkeley

Five. Flying with Concord

Epilogue

Appendix 1. An Interview with Elizabeth A. Tjader

Appendix 2. An Interview with Robert C. Tjader

Musical Glossary by Michael Weil

Discography by Michael Weil and S. Duncan Reid

Chapter Notes

Bibliography and Sources

Index