Tag Archives: West Side Story

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.

  1. Prologue (Leonard Bernstein) / The Jet Song
  2. Something’s Coming
  3. Maria Interlude
  4. Maria
  5. Tonight
  6. America
  7. Cool
  8. One Hand, One Heart
  9. I Feel Pretty / Somewhere

Leonard Bernstein

On October 14, 1990, Leonard Bernstein died aged 72. He was pianist, composer,  conductor and music lecturer, regarded as one of the most important, influential and successful artists in the American music history. He was director of the New York Philharmonic and has been conducting concerts with some of the leading world orchestras. As composer he has worked with various music forms including ballet, opera, musicals, film scores, orchestral, chamber, choral, piano and  vocal music. Many of his music works are still regularly performed on the stages around the world, and his best known and most popular musical “West Side Story” is regarded as one of the classics of the world music literature.