Cal Tjader - Eight Classic Albums (2012)

Tracklist

CD1:

Tjader Plays Mambo (1954)
01. Yesterdays (3:23)
02. Out of Nowhere (3:03)
03. Fascinating Rhythm (2:46)
04. Guarachi Guaro (2:59)
05. The Lady Is a Tramp (2:54)
06. It Ain't Necessarily So (2:05)
07. Have You Met Ms. Jones (3:05)
08. For Heavens Sake (2:57)
09. Mambo Macumba (2:20)
10. East of the Sun (3:03)
11. Bei Mir Bist du Schoen (3:08)
12. I Concentrate on You (2:00)
Cal Tjader-Stan Getz Sextet (1958)
13. Ginza Samba (11:00)
14. I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face (3:59)
15. For All We Know (5:44)
16. Crows Nest (8:21)
17. Liz-Anna (3:48)
18. Big Bear (4:35)
19. My Buddy (5:14)

CD2:

San Francisco Moods (1958)
01. Running Out (3:24)
02. Racoon Strait (2:27)
03. The Last Luff (3:41)
04. Sigmund Stern Groove (4:40)
05. Coit Tower (1:37)
06. Triple T Blues (6:01)
07. Union Square (4:22)
08. Skyline Waltz (3:45)
09. Viva Cepeda (3:43)
10. The Grant Avenue Suite (7:32)
Cal Tjader Goes Latin (1959)
11. Mi China (2:17)
12. Close Your Eyes (3:12)
13. Mambo at the M (4:41)
14. Contigo (2:40)
15. Bonita (2:30)
16. The Lady Is a Tramp (4:33)
17. Black Orchid (3:25)
18. Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe (3:46)
19. I've Waited So Long (2:09)
20. Out of Nowhere (3:27)
21. Guajira at the Blackhawk (5:19)

CD3:

Concert by the Sea, Vol.1 (1959)
01. Doxy (8:49)
02. Afro Blue (6:34)
03. Laura (5:20)
04. Walkin' with Wally (10:07)
05. We'll Be Together Again (5:13)
06. 'Round Midnight (6:07)
Concert by the Sea, Vol.2 (1959)
07. Love Me or Leave Me (5:57)
08. Tu Cress Que (5:29)
09. S.S. Groove (5:19)
10. A Night in Tunisia (6:55)
11. Bess, You Is My Women (4:12)
12. Lover Come Back to Me (3:13)
13. Tumbao (4:53)

CD4:

Concert on the Campus (1960)
01. S.S. Groove (4:48)
02. Goodbye (4:28)
03. Moment in Madrid (5:33)
04. Rezo (6:02)
05. Love for Sale (4:47)
06. Then I'll Be Tired of You (4:50)
07. Theme for Duke (2:53)
08. Cuban Fantasy (6:39)
Demasiado Caliente (1960)
09. Manila (5:00)
10. Key Largo (3:37)
11. Tumbao (6:56)
12. Bludan (3:10)
13. Chispita (3:30)
14. September (3:49)
15. Cal's Pals (3:39)
16. Para Ti (3:31)
17. Mamblues (4:44)

The records in this set trace Cal Tjader's musical development as a bandleader from the middle of the 1950s to 1960. Four discs and 69 cuts detail the great vibraphonist's recordings for Fantasy. The albums here include 1954's Tjader Plays Mambo; 1958's Cal Tjader Stan Getz Sextet and San Francisco Moods; Cal Tjader Goes Latin and both volumes of Concert by the Sea from 1959, and 1960's Concert on the Campus and Demasiado Caliente. This last recording (featuring Mongo Santamaria) and Tjader Plays Mambo are widely regarded as high points in his catalog. Given the price tag, these sides are essential for fans who don't already possess them. There is a serious caveat, however: these transfers are from vinyl, not tape, which calls into question the label's legitimacy.~Thom Jurek