Cal Tjader, born July 16, 1925 and died May 5, 1982 was an American Latin jazz musician. He performed Latin jazz music until his death, unlike other American jazz musicians who tried to experiment with Latin American music. Tjader, pronounced “chay-der”, was a vibraphone player. He also played the bongos, congas and drums. Many musicians came from different cultures to work with him. His contributions to Latin rock and acid music are often credited. Tjader’s work swung freely between Latin and jazz music, even though fusion jazz is commonly referred to as “Latin Jazz” or, earlier, “Afro-Cuban Jazz”. Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
