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{{Short description|American vibraphonist (1925–1982)}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Cal Tjader
| image             = Cal Tjader.jpg
| caption           = Tjader in 1958
| birth_name        = Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr.
| birth_date        = {{Birth date|1925|7|16}}
| birth_place       = [[St. Louis]], Missouri, U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|1982|5|5|1925|7|16}}
| death_place       = [[Manila]], Philippines
| origin            = [[San Mateo, California]], U.S.
| instrument        = {{flatlist|
*[[Vibraphone]]
*[[drum kit]]
*[[piano]]
*[[timbales]]
*[[Bongo drum|bongos]]
*[[conga]]s
}}
| genre             = {{flatlist|
*[[Jazz]]
*[[Latin jazz]]
*[[bebop]]
*{{nowrap|Afro jazz}}
*[[beautiful music]]
}}
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
*Vibraphonist
*composer
*bandleader
}}
| years_active      = 1948–1982
| label             = {{flatlist|
*[[Fantasy Records|Fantasy]]
*[[Verve Records|Verve]]
*[[Skye Records|Skye]]
*[[Concord Records|Concord]]
}}
 
| past_member_of    = {{flatlist|
*The Cal Tjader Modern Mambo Quintet
*The Cal Tjader Quartet
}}
}}

'''Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr.''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|dʒ|eɪ|d|ər}} {{Respell|JAY|dər}}; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American [[Latin Jazz]] musician, often described as the most successful non-Latino [[Latin music (genre)|Latin musician]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cal Tjader Biography, Songs, & Albums |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/cal-tjader-mn0000643549/biography |access-date=2023-06-04 |website=[[AllMusic]] |language=en}}</ref> He explored other jazz idioms, especially small group [[modern jazz]], even as he continued to perform music of Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Although his main instrument was the [[vibraphone]], Tjader was also accomplished on the [[Drum kit|drums]], [[bongo drum|bongos]], [[conga]]s, [[timbales]], and the [[piano]]. He worked with many musicians from several cultures. He is often linked to the development of [[Latin rock]] and [[acid jazz]]. Although the fusion of Jazz with Latin music is often pigeonholed as "Latin Jazz", Tjader's works swung freely between both styles. His [[Grammy]] award in 1980 for his album ''La Onda Va Bien'' capped off a career that spanned over 40 years.<ref>{{Cite book |title = Cal Tjader: The Life and Recordings of the Man Who Revolutionized Latin Jazz |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=_f5tAAAAQBAJ |publisher = [[McFarland (publisher)|McFarland]] |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |date = 2013 |isbn = 978-1-4766-0588-3 |first = S. Duncan |last = Reid |page = 222}}</ref>

== Early years (1925–1943) ==
On {{start date|1925|7|16}}, Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. was born in [[St. Louis]]<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=2508/9}}</ref> to touring [[Swedish American]] [[vaudeville|vaudevillians]]. His father [[tap dance]]d and his mother played piano, a husband-wife team going from city to city with their troupe to earn a living. When he was two, Tjader's parents settled in [[San Mateo, California]], opening a dance studio. His mother (who dreamed of becoming a [[concert pianist]]) instructed him in [[classical piano]], and his father taught him to tap dance. He performed around the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]] as "Tjader Junior", a tap-dancing ''[[wunderkind]]''. He performed a brief non-speaking role dancing alongside [[Bill "Bojangles" Robinson]] in the film ''The White of the Dark Cloud of Joy''.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Afro-Cuban Jazz: Third Ear – the Essential Listening Companion|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8thonROuSHoC|publisher = Hal Leonard Corporation|date = 2000-12-01 |isbn = 978-1-61780-032-0|first = Scott|last = Yanow|page = 139}}</ref>

Tjader joined a [[Dixieland]] band and played around the Bay Area.<ref name="reid2013"/>

In 1941, at age 16, Tjader entered a [[Gene Krupa]] [[Solo (music)|drum solo]] contest, making it to the finals and ultimately winning by playing "[[Drum Boogie]]", on December 7. His win was, however, overshadowed by the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] that very same morning.<ref name="reid2013">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oQo3AAAAQBAJ&q=%22Drum+Boogie.%22+pearl+harbor&pg=PA18|title=Cal Tjader: The Life and Recordings of the Man Who Revolutionized Latin Jazz|last=Reid|first=S. Duncan|date=2013-08-23|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-3535-7|language=en}}</ref>

== Navy and college (1940s) ==
In 1943, at age 17, Tjader entered the [[United States Navy]] and served as a medical corpsman in the [[Pacific Theater (World War II)|Pacific Theater]] until March 1946. He saw action in five invasions, including the [[Marianas campaign]] and the [[Philippines Campaign (1944–1945)|Battle of the Philippines]].<ref name=":0"/>

Upon his return, in 1946, Tjader enrolled at San Jose State College (now [[San José State University]]) under the [[G.I. Bill]], majoring in education. Later,{{when|date=June 2025}} he transferred to [[San Francisco State College]], still intending to teach. It was there that he took [[timpani]] lessons, his only formal music training.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thatdappersound.com/home/2017/2/19/cal-tjader-the-best-of-cal-tjader|title=Cal Tjader – The Best Of Cal Tjader|last=Brown|first=Jesse|date=2017-02-19|website=THAT DAPPER SOUND — A VINYL LOG|access-date=2018-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926205805/https://www.thatdappersound.com/home/2017/2/19/cal-tjader-the-best-of-cal-tjader|archive-date=2018-09-26|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At San Francisco State, Tjader met [[Dave Brubeck]], a young pianist also fresh from a stint in the Army. Brubeck introduced Tjader to [[Paul Desmond]]. The three connected with more players and formed the [[Dave Brubeck Octet]] with Tjader on drums. Although the group recorded only [[Dave Brubeck Octet|one album]] and had difficulty finding work, the recording is regarded as important due to its early glimpse at these soon-to-be-legendary jazz greats. After the octet disbanded, Tjader and Brubeck formed a trio, performing jazz standards in the hope of finding more work. The Dave Brubeck Trio succeeded and became a fixture in the San Francisco jazz scene. Tjader taught himself the vibraphone during this period, alternating between it and the drums depending on the song.<ref name=":0" />

== Sideman (1951–1954) ==
In 1951, Brubeck suffered major injuries from a diving accident in Hawaii, and the trio was forced to dissolve. Tjader continued the trio work in California with bassist Jack Weeks from Brubeck's trio and pianists John Marabuto or [[Vince Guaraldi]], recording his first 10" [[LP record ]] as a leader with them for Fantasy, but soon worked with [[Alvino Rey]] and completed his degree at San Francisco State. Jazz pianist [[George Shearing]] recruited Tjader in 1953 when Joe Roland left his group. Al McKibbon was a member of Shearing's band at the time and he and Tjader encouraged Shearing to add Cuban percussionists. Tjader played bongos as well as the vibes: "Drum Trouble" was his bongo solo feature. ''[[Down Beat]]'''s 1953 Critics Poll nominated him as best New Star on the vibes. His next 10" LP as a leader was recorded for Savoy during that time, as well as his first Latin Jazz for a Fantasy 10" LP. While in New York City, bassist [[Al McKibbon]] took Tjader to see the Afro-Cuban [[big band]]s led by [[Machito]] and [[Chico O'Farrill]], both at the forefront of the nascent Latin jazz sound. In New York, he met [[Mongo Santamaría]] and [[Willie Bobo]], who were members of [[Tito Puente]]'s orchestra at the time.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

== Leader (1954–1962) ==
Tjader soon quit Shearing after a gig at the San Francisco jazz club the Blackhawk. In April 1954, he formed the Cal Tjader Modern Mambo Quintet. The members were brothers Manuel Duran and Carlos Duran on piano and bass respectively, Benny Velarde on timbales, bongos, and congas, and Edgard Rosales on congas (Luis Miranda replaced Rosales after the first year). Back in San Francisco and recording for [[Fantasy Records]], the group produced several albums in rapid succession, including ''Mambo with Tjader''.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

The [[Mambo craze]] reached its pitch in the late 1950s, a boon to Tjader's career. Unlike the [[exotica]] of [[Martin Denny]] and [[Les Baxter]], music billed as "impressions of" Oceania (and other locales), Tjader's bands featured seasoned Cuban players and top-notch jazz talent conversant in both idioms. He cut several notable straight-ahead jazz albums for Fantasy using various group names, most notably the Cal Tjader Quartet (composed of bassist [[Gene Wright]], drummer Al Torre, and pianist Vince Guaraldi). Tjader is sometimes lumped in as part of the [[West Coast jazz|West Coast]] (or "[[Cool jazz|cool]]") jazz sound, although his rhythms and tempos (both Latin and bebop) had little in common with the work of Los Angeles jazzmen [[Gerry Mulligan]], [[Chet Baker]], or [[Art Pepper]].{{fact|date=June 2025}}

In 1959, Tjader and his band opened the second [[Monterey Jazz Festival]] with an acclaimed "preview" concert. The first festival had suffered financially. Tjader is credited with bringing in big ticket sales for the second and saving the landmark festival before it had even really started. The Modern Mambo Quintet disbanded within a couple of years. Tjader formed several more small-combo bands, playing regularly at such San Francisco jazz clubs as the [[Black Hawk (nightclub)|Blackhawk]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cotterrell |first=Roger |title=Cal Tjader: Between Two Worlds |journal=Jazz & Blues |date=July 1972 }}</ref>

== Verve and Skye Records (1960s) ==
After recording for Fantasy for nearly a decade, Tjader signed with better-known [[Verve Records]], founded by [[Norman Granz]] but owned then by MGM.  With the luxury of larger budgets and seasoned recording producer [[Creed Taylor]] in the control booth, Tjader cut a varied string of albums. During the Verve years Tjader worked with arrangers [[Oliver Nelson]], [[Claus Ogerman]], [[Eddie Palmieri]], [[Lalo Schifrin]], [[Don Sebesky]], and performers [[Willie Bobo]], [[Donald Byrd]], [[Clare Fischer]], a young [[Chick Corea]], [[Jimmy Heath]], [[Kenny Burrell]], [[Hank Jones]], [[Anita O'Day]], [[Armando Peraza]], [[Jerome Richardson]], and others. Tjader recorded with big band orchestras for the first time, and even made an album based on Asian scales and rhythms.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

Tjader's biggest success was the album ''Soul Sauce'' (1964). Its title track, a [[Dizzy Gillespie]] cover Tjader had been toying with for over a decade, was a radio hit (hitting the top 20 on New York's influential pop music station [[WMCA (AM)|WMCA]] in May 1965), and landed the album on [[Billboard magazine|Billboard]]'s Top 50 Albums of 1965. Titled "Guachi Guaro" (a nonsensical phrase in Spanish), Tjader transformed the Gillespie/[[Chano Pozo]] composition into something new. (The name "Soul Sauce" came from Taylor's suggestion for a catchier title and [[Willie Bobo]]'s observation that Tjader's version was spicier than the original.) The song's identifiable sound is a combination of the call-outs made by Bobo (''"Salsa ahi na ma ... sabor, sabor!"'') and Tjader's crisp vibes work. The album sold over 100,000 copies and popularized the word ''[[Salsa music|salsa]]'' in describing Latin dance music.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

The 1960s were Tjader's most prolific period.  With the backing of a major record label, Verve, he could afford to stretch out and expand his repertoire.  The most obvious deviation from his Latin jazz sound was ''Several Shades of Jade'' (1963) and the follow-up ''Breeze From the East'' (1963). Both albums attempted to combine jazz and Asian music, much as Tjader and others had done with Afro-Cuban. The result was dismissed by the critics, chided as little more than the dated exotica that had come and gone in the prior decade. Tjader also recorded a notable straight modern jazz live album ''Saturday Night/ Sunday Night at the Blackhawk, San Francisco'' with his regular quartet in 1962.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

Other experiments were not so easily dismissed. Tjader teamed up with New Yorker [[Eddie Palmieri]] in 1966 to produce ''[[El Sonido Nuevo]]'' ("The New Sound"). A companion LP was recorded for Palmieri's contract label, Tico, titled ''Bamboleate''. While Tjader's prior work was often dismissed as "Latin [[lounge music|lounge]]", here the duo created a darker, more sinister sound. ''Cal Tjader Plays The Contemporary Music Of Mexico And Brazil'' (1962), released during the [[bossa nova]] craze, actually bucked the trend, instead using more traditional arrangements from the two countries' past. In the late 1960s, Tjader, along with guitarist [[Gábor Szabó]] and [[Gary McFarland]], helped to found the short-lived Skye record label. Tjader's work of this period is characterized by  ''Solar Heat'' (1968) and ''Tjader Plugs In'' (1969), precursors to [[acid jazz]].{{fact|date=June 2025}}

== Fusion years (1970s) ==
During the 1970s, Tjader returned to Fantasy Records, the label with which he had begun in 1954. Embracing the jazz fusion sound that was becoming its own subgenre at the time, he added electronic instruments to his lineup and began to employ rock beats behind his arrangements. His most notable album during this period is ''Amazonas'' (1975) (produced by Brazilian percussionist [[Airto Moreira]]). He played on the soundtrack to the ''[[avant garde]]'' animated film ''[[Fritz the Cat (film)|Fritz the Cat]]'' (1972), most notably on the track entitled "Mamblues". In 1976, Tjader recorded several live shows performed at [[Grace Cathedral, San Francisco]]. Like the Monterey Jazz Festival show, he played a mix of jazz standards and Latin arrangements. Later he toured Japan with saxophonist Art Pepper, the latter recovering from alcohol and drug dependencies.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Straight Life: The Story of Art Pepper|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pyJBBrBoCUoC|publisher = Da Capo Press|date = 2009-09-09|isbn = 978-0-7867-5157-0|first1 = Art|last1 = Pepper|first2 = Laurie|last2 = Pepper|page = 465}}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

== Final years (1979 to 1982) ==
{{stack|[[File:Sabor correct.tiff|thumb|center|450px|A section of "Sabor" by João Donato, as arranged by Mark Levine, and performed by Cal Tjader.]]}}
[[Carl Jefferson]], president of [[Concord Records]], created a subsidiary label called Concord Picante to promote and distribute Tjader's work. Unlike his excursions in the 1960s and his jazz-rock attempts in the 1970s, Tjader's Concord Picante work was largely straight-ahead Latin jazz.  Electronic instruments and rock backbeats were dropped, reverting to a more "classic" sound. During the prior decade he'd built up a crew of young musicians consisting of [[Mark Levine (musician)|Mark Levine]] on piano, Roger Glenn on flute, [[Vince Lateano]] on drums, Robb Fisher on the bass, and [[Poncho Sanchez]] on the congas.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

Tjader cut five albums for Concord Picante, the most successful being ''La Onda Va Bien'' (1979) (roughly "The Good Life"), produced by Carl Jefferson and Frank Dorritie, which earned a Grammy award in 1980 for Best Latin Recording. The A section of Tjader's "Sabor" is a 2-3 onbeat/offbeat [[guajeo]], minus some notes.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

===Death===
Tjader died on tour. On the road with his band in [[Manila]], he collapsed from the third of a series of heart attacks, and died on May 5, 1982, aged 56.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/06/obituaries/cal-tjader-jazz-vibraphonist.html|title=Cal Tjader, Jazz Vibraphonist|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=1982-05-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |work=CapRadio, website of NPR affiliate and central California flagship station KXKZ |date=2015-07-16 |title=Remembering Cal Tjader |url=https://www.capradio.org/news/insight/2015/07/16/insight-071615b/ }}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Tjader's legacy is associated with that of Gábor Szabó and Gary McFarland, who worked and founded [[Skye Records]] together (the [[PANDORA]] archive spells [[Szabó]] without the acute accent). The American hip-hop band [[A Tribe Called Quest]] sampled Tjader's "Aquarius" (from ''The Prophet'') as an outro to most of the songs on their album ''Midnight Marauders''.{{fact|date=June 2025}}

Tjader's work is estimated to have been sampled in at least 214 tracks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whosampled.com/Cal-Tjader/sampled|title=Tracks that Sampled Cal Tjader|work=Who Sampled|access-date=2023-07-16}}</ref>

== Discography ==
=== As leader/co-leader ===
*''The Cal Tjader Trio'' ([[Fantasy Records|Fantasy]], 1953) – rec. 1951
*''Cal Tjader: Vibist'' ([[Savoy Records|Savoy]], 1954)
*''Cal Tjader Plays Afro-Cuban'' (Fantasy, 1954)
*''Tjader Plays Mambo'' (Fantasy, 1954)
*''Mambo with Tjader'' (Fantasy, 1954)
*''Tjader Plays Tjazz'' (Fantasy, 1955)
*''Ritmo Caliente!'' (Fantasy, 1955)
*''Cal Tjader Quartet'' (Fantasy, 1956)
*''The Cal Tjader Quintet'' (Fantasy, 1956)
*''Jazz at the Blackhawk'' (Fantasy, 1957)
*''Cal Tjader's Latin Kick'' (Fantasy, 1957)
*''Cal Tjader'' (Fantasy, 1957)
*''Más Ritmo Caliente'' (Fantasy, 1958)
*''[[Cal Tjader-Stan Getz Sextet]]'' with [[Stan Getz]] (Fantasy, 1958)
*''San Francisco Moods'' (Fantasy, 1958)
*''Cal Tjader's Latin Concert'' (Fantasy, 1958)
*''Latin for Lovers: Cal Tjader with Strings'' (Fantasy, 1958)
*''A Night at the Blackhawk'' (Fantasy, 1958)
*''Tjader Goes Latin'' (Fantasy, 1958)
*''Concert by the Sea, Vol. 1'' (Fantasy, 1959)
*''Concert by the Sea, Vol. 2'' (Fantasy, 1959)
*''Concert on the Campus'' (Fantasy, 1960)
*''Demasiado Caliente'' (Fantasy, 1960)
*''[[West Side Story (Cal Tjader album)|West Side Story]]'' (Fantasy, 1960)
*''[[In a Latin Bag]]'' ([[Verve Records|Verve]], 1961)
*''Live and Direct'' (Fantasy, 1961)
*''Cal Tjader Plays, Mary Stallings Sings'' with [[Mary Stallings]] (Fantasy, 1962)
*''[[Cal Tjader Plays Harold Arlen]]'' (Fantasy, 1962)
*''Saturday Night/Sunday Night at the Blackhawk, San Francisco'' (Verve, 1962)
*''[[Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil]]'' (Verve, 1962)
*''[[Time for 2]]'' with [[Anita O'Day]] (Verve, 1962)
*''[[Several Shades of Jade]]'' (Verve, 1963)
*''[[Soña Libré]]'' (Verve, 1963)
*''[[Breeze from the East]]'' (Verve, 1964)
*''[[Warm Wave]]'' (Verve, 1964)
*''[[Soul Sauce]]'' (Verve, 1964)
*''[[Soul Bird: Whiffenpoof]]'' (Verve, 1965)
*''[[Soul Burst]]'' (Verve, 1966)
*''[[El Sonido Nuevo]]'' with [[Eddie Palmieri]] (Verve, 1966)
*''Bamboléate'' with Eddie Palmieri ([[Tico Records|Tico]], 1967)
*''Along Comes Cal'' (Verve, 1967)
*''Hip Vibrations'' (Verve, 1967)
*''The Prophet'' (Verve, 1968)
*''Solar Heat'' ([[Skye Records|Skye]], 1968)
*''Cal Tjader Sounds Out Burt Bacharach'' (Skye, 1969)
*''Cal Tjader Plugs In (At The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, California, February 20–21, 1969)'' (Skye, 1969)
*''Tjader'' (Fantasy, 1970)
*''Agua Dulce'' (Fantasy, 1971)
*''Live at the Funky Quarters'' (Fantasy, 1972)
*''Primo'' (Fantasy, 1973)
*''Last Bolero in Berkeley'' (Fantasy, 1973)
*''Tambu'' with [[Charlie Byrd]] (Fantasy, 1973)
*''Puttin' It Together: Recorded Live at Concerts By the Sea'' (Fantasy, 1973)
*''Last Night When We Were Young'' (Fantasy, 1975)
*''Amazonas'' (Fantasy, 1975)
*''Grace Cathedral Concert'' (Fantasy, 1976)
*''Guarabe'' (Fantasy, 1977)
*''[[Breathe Easy (Cal Tjader album)|Breathe Easy]]'' ([[Galaxy Records|Galaxy]], 1977)
*''[[Here (Cal Tjader album)|Here]]'' (Galaxy, 1977) – live
*''Huracán'' (Crystal Clear, 1978) – reissue (Laserlight, 1990)
*''La Onda Va Bien'' ([[Concord Records|Concord Picante]], 1979)
*''Gózame! Pero Ya'' (Concord Picante, 1980)
*''The Shining Sea'' (Concord Picante, 1981)
*''A Fuego Vivo'' (Concord Picante, 1981)
*''[[Heat Wave (Cal Tjader and Carmen McRae album)|Heat Wave]]'' with [[Carmen McRae]] (Concord Jazz, 1982)
*''Good Vibes'' (Concord Picante, 1984) – rec. 1981
*''Latin + Jazz = Cal Tjader'' (Dunhill Compact Classics/DCC, 1990) – rec. 1968
*''Concerts in the Sun'' (Fantasy, 2002) – rec. 1960
*''Cuban Fantasy'' (Fantasy, 2003) – live rec. 1977

'''Compilations'''
* ''Cal Tjader Plays Latin for Dancers'' (Fantasy, 1960)
* ''Latino con Cal Tjader'' (Fantasy, 1962)
* ''Doxy'' (Fantasy, 1973)
* ''Descarga'' (Fantasy CD, 1995)
* ''Black Hawk Nights'' (Fantasy CD, 2000)
* ''Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival 1958–1980'' (Concord Jazz, 2008)
* ''Catch the Groove: Live at the Penthouse 1963-1967'' (Jazz Detective, 2023)

=== As sideman ===
'''With [[Ed Bogas]]'''
*''[[Fritz the Cat (soundtrack)]]'' (Fantasy, 1972)

'''With [[Dave Brubeck]]'''
*''[[Dave Brubeck Octet]]'' (Fantasy, 1956) – recorded in 1946–50
*''Dave Brubeck Trio'' (Fantasy, 1950)
*''Distinctive Rhythm Instrumentals'' (Fantasy, 1950)

'''With [[Rosemary Clooney]]'''
*''[[With Love (Rosemary Clooney album)|With Love]]'' (Concord Jazz, 1981)
*''[[Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Cole Porter]]'' (Concord Jazz, 1982)

'''With [[Dizzy Gillespie]]'''
*''Highlights of the 18th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival 1975'' ([[Storyville Records|Storyville DVD]], 2007)

'''With [[Woody Herman]]'''
*''Woody Herman Presents: A Concord Jam, Volume 1'' (Concord Jazz, 1981)

'''With [[Eiji Kitamura]]'''
*''Seven Stars'' (Concord Jazz, 1981)

'''With [[Charles Mingus]]'''
*''Charles 'Barron' Mingus, West Coast, 1945–49'' ([[Uptown Records (jazz)|Uptown]], 2002)

'''With [[Toshiyuki Miyama]]'''
*''The New Herd at Monterey'' (Nadja [Japan], 1974)

'''With [[Brew Moore]]'''
*''The Brew Moore Quintet'' (Fantasy, 1956)
*''Brew Moore'' (Fantasy, 1957)

'''With [[Vido Musso]]'''
*''Vido Musso Sextet'' (Fantasy, 1952)

'''With [[Art Pepper]]'''
*''[[Tokyo Debut]]'' [live] (Galaxy, 1995) – rec. 1977

'''With [[Armando Peraza]]'''
*''Wild Thing'' (Skye, 1969)

'''With [[Tito Puente]]'''
*''Tito Puente & His Orchestra Live at the 1977 Monterey Jazz Festival'' (Concord Jazz, 2008)

'''With [[George Shearing]]'''
*''An Evening with the George Shearing Quintet'' ([[MGM Records|MGM]], 1954)
*''A Shearing Caravan'' (MGM, 1955)
*''When Lights are Low'' (MGM, 1955)
*''Shearing in Hi-Fi'' (MGM, 1955)

=== Tribute albums ===
*[[Louie Ramirez]]: ''Tribute to Cal Tjader'' (Caimán, 1986)
*[[Clare Fischer]]: ''Tjaderama'' ([[Discovery Records|Discovery]], 1987)
*[[Poncho Sanchez]]: ''Soul Sauce: Memories of Cal Tjader'' (Concord Jazz, 1995)
*[[Dave Samuels]]: ''Tjader-ized : A Cal Tjader Tribute'' (Verve, 1998)
*[[Gary Burton]]: ''For Hamp, Red, Bags, and Cal'' (Concord Jazz, 2001)
*[[Paquito D'Rivera]] and his Latin Jazz Ensemble with Louie Ramírez: ''A Tribute to Cal Tjader'' (Yemayá, 2003)
*[[Mike Freeman (jazz musician)|Mike Freeman]] ZonaVibe ''"Blue Tjade" (VOF Recordings, 2015)

==See also==

== References ==
{{Reflist|1}}

== Bibliography ==
*{{cite book |title=Straight Life: The Story Of Art Pepper |last1=Pepper |first1=Art |author-link1=Art Pepper |last2=Pepper |first2=Laurie |year=1994 |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |isbn=978-0-306-80558-5}}
*{{cite book |title=Latin Jazz : The First of Fusion, 1880s to Today |last=Roberts |first=John Storm |author-link=John Storm Roberts |year=1999 |publisher=[[G. Schirmer Inc.]] |isbn=978-0-8256-7192-0}}
*{{cite book |title=Afro-Cuban Jazz : Third Ear – The Essential Listening Companion |last=Yanow |first=Scott |author-link=Scott Yanow |year=2000 |publisher=[[Backbeat Books]] |isbn=978-0-87930-619-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/afrocubanjazz00yano }}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website|http://www.caltjader.com|Cal Tjader}} – official site
*{{allMusic}}
*{{Discogs artist}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090605025758/http://www.music-city.org/Cal-Tjader/complete-discography Cal Tjader] complete discography from [[Music City]]
*[http://www.spaceagepop.com/tjader.htm Cal Tjader] at Space Age Pop
*[http://www.twainquotes.com/18630205t.html ''Early Tales and Sketches''] (excerpt), referring to Dr. Anton Tjader
{{Cal Tjader}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tjader, Cal}}
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[[Category:20th-century American pianists]]
[[Category:People from San Mateo, California]]
[[Category:San Jose State University alumni]]
[[Category:Drummers from California]]
[[Category:20th-century American male pianists]]