Cal Tjader - Breeze From The East (1964)

Cal Tjader's Breeze from the East combined the vibist's Latin lounge style with kitschy Asian touches. In lieu of the Asian-born material and Lalo Schifrin's airy arrangements found on its predecessor Several Shades of Jade, though, Tjader opted here for Stan Applebaum's self-penned go-go charts. On "Sake and Greens," "Cha," and "Shoji," mod-rock guitar lines shadow Tjader's solos on pat-sounding Oriental scales, while pianist Lonnie Hewitt keeps up a soul-jazz rhythm picture '60s-era James Bond on a wild chase through the heart of Tokyo. Tjader's traditionally light, Latin combo approach sans much of the Eastern ornamentation is still used on standards like "Stardust" and "East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)" and even worked to somewhat sublime heights on "Fuji" and "Black Orchid." The ultra-smooth Latin jazz sound Tjader favored has always been more infectious than demanding and Breeze from the East's commercialized mod/eastern elements only end up expanding the pop exotica mix.