Album Review: Cal Tjader – Huracán

Cal Tjader was a prime exponent of the Latin jazz scene of the 1950s and early ‘60s. Though his activities began long before and continued long after, it’s those years for which he’s most remembered. His run of albums on Fantasy Records served up some thrilling sounds, exuberant stuff filled with panache, passion and energy. His one-off 1958 collaboration with Stan Getz, Cal Tjader-Stan Getz Sextet is a monumental release from that period as well.

By the 1970s, Tjader had moved toward fusion, but his love for Latin Jazz remained a defining feature of his work. And so it was that long after the exotica- and Caribbean-flavored strain of jazz had seen its biggest days come and go, he recorded and released Huracán.

Orignally released as a 12-inch EP on a small label (Crystal Clear) in 1978, Huracán was in many ways a throwback to what Tjader had been doing two decades before. But it’s done so well, and with so much style and feeling, that it’s a timeless recording. The disc opens with the uptempo “Ritmo Caliente,” a thrilling and insistent piece with a backbeat that will lead rock fans to think of early Santana (specifically the outro of their reading of Fleetwood Mac’s “Black Magic Woman”).

Tjader’s vibes and Clare Fischer’s electric piano are at the center of the warm and inviting “Desposado,” the perfect soundtrack for a tiki lounge excursion. For listeners who only know Tjader’s earlier work, it might be a btit jarring to hear Robb Fisher’s electric bass in the mix, but it works, and well. The complicated beat of “Bachi” is simply mesmerizing, Willie Bobo and Victor Pantoja provide some astounding percussion work. Rick Zunigar’s electric guitar – another sound not heard on early Tjader LPs – is lovely as well.

As Side Two opens, Tjader and his band mates deftly fold Latin jazz, bits of fusion and some tasty horn work into the mix for the title track. Some squawking and borderline-atonal sax soloing comes as a bit of a surprise, but it ultimately adds to the texture of the record. The piece is a testament to how much can be done with only one – occasionally two – chord(s). The hypnotic “Funquiado” has it both ways, delivering subtlety and complexity in a single tune, often at the same time. Tjader’s always-lovely vibes soloing takes center stage here. The record closes with a throwback, a traditional reading of Osvaldo Farras’ “Tres Palabras.” It offers a very different character than the previous tracks on Huracán, but it’s a highlight of the album nonetheless.

Tjader led the band, but he didn’t compose any of the material on Huracán. Keyboardist Fischer is responsible for four of the six tunes; the others are covers. But none of that takes away from the allure of this wonderfully vivid and splendidly recorded studio outing. The session’s method – overhead mics rather than then-and-now-standard close-miking – helps give it a live sound and feel.

A 1990 reissue added two cuts to the original four for a CD-era release, but that would be it until this new 21^st century reissue. Now in 2024 Huracán makes its first vinyl appearance in ages with this new reissue from Liberation Hall. Recommended.