On April 14, 2014, Armando Peraza died aged 79. He was musician (percussion, congas, bongos, timbales), recorded and performed with Machito’s Big Band, Charlie Parker, Slim Gaillard, Perez Prado, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Mingus, Dexter Gordon, Tony Martinez, Gato Barbieri, Cal Tjader, George Shearing, Randy Weston, Peggy Lee, Mongo Santamaria, Shelly Manne, Judy Garland, Victor Feldman, Stan Kenton Band, Harvey Mandel and Santana. As leader, Peraza recorded one album.
Tag Archives: Cal Tjader
Cal Tjader: West Side Story
On January 1, 1961, “Fantasy” label released “West Side Story”, the 27th Cal Tjader album. It was recorded on October 18, 1960, and consists of musical numbers from Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story” in jazz arrangements.
Personnel:
- Cal Tjader- vibraphone
- Clare Fischer- piano, celeste, musical director
- Lonnie Hewitt – piano
- Red Mitchell, Victor Venegas – bass
- Shelly Manne, Milt Holland- drums
- Mongo Santamaria- conga
- Willie Bobo- drums, timbales
- George Roberts- trombone
- Red Callender- tuba
- Vincent D’Rosa, James Decker, Richard Perissi – French horns
- Paul Horn- flute
- Gerald Vinci, Marshall Sosson, Herman Clebanoff, Amerigo Merino, Leonard Malarsky, Robert Barene, Jack L. Pepper, Henry Sugar, Alvin Dinkin – violins
- Virginia Majewski – viola,
- VIctor Gottlieb – cello
- Carol Gotthoffer – harp
Track listing:
All tracks by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, except where noted.
- Prologue (Leonard Bernstein) / The Jet Song
- Something’s Coming
- Maria Interlude
- Maria
- Tonight
- America
- Cool
- One Hand, One Heart
- I Feel Pretty / Somewhere
Donald Byrd
On February 4, 2013, Donaldson Toussaint L’Ouverture “Donald” Byrd II died aged 80. He was trumpeter, best known as founder and leader the band The Blackbyrds, and regarded as one of the pioneeres of the fusion of funk and soul genres with jazz music. He had successful solo career, and has recorded and performed with big number of famous musicians including Herbie Hancock, Pepper Adams, Gigi Gryce, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Dexter Gordon, George Wallington, Kenny Clarke, Cannonball Adderley, Oscar Pettiford, Hank Jones, Ernie Wilkins, Art Blakey, Rita Reys, Elmo Hope, Phil Woods, Gene Ammons, Art Farmer, Paul Chambers, Doug Watkins, Sonny Rollins, Kenny Burrell, Gigi Gryce, Lou Donaldson, Jimmy Smith, Art Taylor, Kenny Drew, Sonny Clark, John Jenkins, Red Garland, John Coltrane, Pepper Adams, Michel Legrand, Dizzy Reece, Mundell Lowe, Thelonious Monk, Chris Connor, Eric Dolphy, Cal Tjader, Sam Rivers, Wes Monthomery, Stanley Turrentine, Guru and Ahmad Jamal.
Mongo Santamaria
On February 1, 2003, Ramón “Mongo” Santamaría Rodríguez died aged 85. He was musician (congas, bongos), performed and recorded with Perez Prado, Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, Fania All Stars, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Lalo Schifrin and Paul Horn. His 1977 album “Amanecer” won a “Grammy” award, and his hit rendition of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” was inducted into the “Grammy Hall of Fame” in 1998. He is composer of the jazz standard “Afro Blue”, recorded by John Coltrane among others.
