Biographies of
Cal Tjader always mention that he was a master of Latin Jazz, born in St. Louis. But
Tjader spent the bulk of his tragically short life in San Francisco and he was also one of the leading lights of the West Coast cool jazz scene. This wonderful album features a set of original tunes that take the listener on a cool musical tour of "that city by the Bay." The titles reflect
Tjader's love of sailing, baseball, and such San Francisco landmarks as Coit Tower and Union Square (while the swinging "Sigmund Stern Groove" is a pun on the grove where the public has enjoyed free summer jazz concerts for decades). Unlike so many of his Verve recordings,
Tjader gives himself plenty of space to solo on the vibes here and also sits down to play piano. Always a giving group leader,
Tjader gives equal solo space to (soon-to-be star) pianist
Vince Guaraldi, guitarist
Eddie Duran, and the loose and limber rhythm section. This superb, downright fun album was reissued in 1995 under the title
Sentimental Moods in a strange two-for-one coupling with a swank, practically jazz-free mood music album that
Tjader cut during the same year.