Soul Burst

Readers may have noticed the title of my last post implied that I would be writing a Top Ten of 2012. Perhaps that was bold. It might have to just be top ten albums I heard in 2012--not necessarily released in that year. Anyway, more on that later.

This Cal Tjader album, Soul Burst, was released in 1967. One cool thing about it is its awesome cover art. I can't tell if that thing is a flower, a spiky pendant, or a gaudy golden wall decoration that was hanging in some living room overlooking the San Francisco Bay. Tjader was king of West Coast latin jazz, something I learned a thing or two about at a Benny Velarde performance last April. The vibraphonist's work around that time was straight ahead. He created easily digestible, pop-lengthed latin songs. I like the quote from the record sleeve (oh 60s jazz record sleeves!): "If there is to be a renaissance in jazz, it's not going to be avant-avant-avant-garde; it's going to be in the direction of beauty."

And check out some of the musicians in this band. A young Chick Corea holds it down on piano. Grady Tate drums. Oliver Nelson arranges. Listen to this version of "Down by the Riverside" to understand why Nelson blows my mind every time I hear him.

By the way, this is not one of my top ten from 2012. Sorry Cal.