Cal Tjader - Amazonas

Cal Tjader's 1975 session sees the legendary vibraphonist deep in conversation with Brazilian jazz, pulling rhythmic cues from Rio and translating them through a sun-dazed Californian lens. With Airto Moreira producing, George Duke arranging, and Hermeto Pascoal, Raul De Souza and David Amaro lending their colour, it's a record built on expert interplay and breezy complexity. 'Amazonas' opens with percussive shimmer and modal drift, while 'Xibaba' and 'Mindoro' balance groove with melodic looseness. On the flip, 'Tamanco No Samba' leans into funkier syncopation, contrasting the hazy melancholy of 'Corine' and the closing slink of 'Cahuenga'. There's clarity in how each part moves-airy but assured-and the new AAA cut from the original tapes gives it warmth without excess polish. It's a joy to hear fusion this fluid, with just enough weirdness from Hermeto to keep it from coasting.