Customer Reviews

Monterey Concerts

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wanted "Cal Tjader's Concert By the Sea" to be released on CD so badly. I have been enjoying my LP copy of this album (Fantasy 3295) for several years. We can all rejoice that some of the best Tjader Fantasy albums are now being reissued. And what a bonus that the trend seems to be putting the contents of two LP releases on one CD. If you buy Blackhawk Nights, Black Orchid, San Francisco Moods, Ritmos Calientes and Monterey Concerts(Live) you'll have the cream of the recordings of Tjader and his greatest groups. As this release of M.C.(Live) shows, Cal Tjader was one of the greates jazz musicians America produced. This is swinging, sophisticated jazz in that 1950's style. The remastered sound is excellent. Put this at the head of your wish list. You'll thank me.

The Ultimate Cal Tjader. I saw Tjader do excerpts from this CD at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach in the early 60's. This is Tjader at his absolute best! This CD combines two early concerts at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Tjader crosses generations--my two sons are also collecting his music.

1959 was a good year for Latin jazz when jazz lovers, coming to the second Montery Jazz Festival, attended a pre-concert in nearby Carmel and discovered Cal Tjader, who had been in the comparative backwater of the West coast playing and recording jazz tunes with a Latin rhythm section. That night, listeners heard Willie Bobo on timbales and drum set and Mongo Santamaria on bongos and other percussion. They found Paul Horn on flute and also saxophone, Lonnie Hewitt on piano, and Al McKibbon on bass, while Tjader mellowed the timbre with his vibes. Only a few tunes had an up-tempo, vigorous Afro-Cuban feel; straight ahead ballads, such as Laura and We'll Be Together Again, and mainstream grooves, original or neo-standards, such as Walkin' with Wally and 'Round Midnight, were well represented. After all, this was a mixed, mainly mainstream audience, and there was something for everyone. This 78-minute live album, consisting of tracks from the two original LPs, sound great. That is good engineering, both at the time and with mastering afterwards. The album, in short, is historic and brilliant and thoroughly enjoyable. I particularly liked the Latin pieces, Tu Crees Que, for instance.

This selection, like the others of Cal Tjader, is super, very good. It add more delight to my collection of Cal Tjader music.

Anything Cal Tjader composed is a classic.

I don't believe he could hit a sour note.

This is a True Collectors item.

I first heard Cal Tjader' version of Sonny Rollins' "Doxy" on a juke box (remember?) in a bar in Virginia Beach in 1961. It knocked me out, and later I bought it on vinyl. And much later I bought it on CD, Tjader's "Greatest Hits." By coincidence over 45 years later I heard the tune on a 24/7 jazz station. And after Lonnie Hewitt's swinging hard bop piano solo was a strong bass solo by Al McKibbon. For some reason the bass solo was cut from the version I had listened to for all these years. It's the difference between decalf and grain alcohol. McKibbon's masterful, rock-solid bass is integral to the consumate success and listener enjoyment of this CD. And his solo, found at last, is the vital component. Of course, Tjader on vibes, Hewitt on piano, Willie Bobo on drums, and Mongo Santamaria on bongos brilliant combine cool restraint with energetic hard bop in this live 1959 recording. An added feature is Paul Horn' flute and especially his Desmond like alto. Don't miss this 1959 winner--because the guys don't play like this anymore.

Roy Armstrong II

Bath, NC

Some people refer to Cal Tjader as a "west coast" musician. He may have originated on the west coast, but this disc is a testimony to every lover of Latin Jazz that Cal Tjader was a gift to the musical universe. Every tune on it is a gem; from the scorching "Tu Crees Que", to the touching, "Bess, You is My Woman". Cal Tjader was also fortunate enough to have united two of the best percussionists ever in Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria. Listen to the depth of sound quality on the congas as Mongo plays Afro Blue and you'll understand what I mean. Willie's hand speed on timbales is fantastic, ("Lover Come Back to Me" for example), and he's just as good on traps. However, it's the beautifully melodic playing of Cal on vibraphone that brings the musicians together into one harmonious unit. The tunes on this disc are a mixture of swingin' Cuban rhythms and straight ahead jazz. Don't let this one get away because it's some of the best music that will ever pass through your ears. Lonnie Hewitt, Al McKibbon, and Paul Horn all deserve equal praise. Highly recommended.