Mambo with Tjader was one of vibraphonist and composer
Cal Tjader's first major recordings. Fascinated with the rhythms and atmospheres of Latin music,
Tjader was one of the first musicians to successfully fuse South American musical styles with straight-ahead jazz. In retrospect, the lush, laid-back, vibes-heavy groove of
Tjader's inventions anticipates the "lounge" music of the '50s and '60s -- offering the sort of soft, swinging soundtrack appropriate for the consumption of dry martinis on leatherette love seats.