Grooves & Samples #1: Cal Tjader – Morning (1971)

Grooves & Samples is a weekly dive into old dusty crates of jazz, funk, soul and beyond. Join us every Sunday on our search for the perfect groove. 

Cal Tjader was a Missouri born jazz musician and composer best known for his deep love affair with Latin music. He fused Latin style with his jazz sensibilities to form an inimitable and intoxicating heady blend of grooviness.

In the 1940s he played drums with the legendary pianist Dave Brubeck, forming a highly experimental octet that was a commercial failure, and subsequently a trio that proved to be rather more successful. During that period Tjader taught himself to play the vibraphone, the instrument he would become widely revered for.

Cal has been sampled for many hip hop classics by the likes of DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Buckwild, Peanut Butter Wolf, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Large Professor, A Tribe Called Quest, Freddie Joachim, Binary Star, Eric Lau, and so many more.  It is highly recommended that you take a look into his vast catalogue of music for some truly fantastic gems of jazz music and classic samples.

This week we’d like to focus on his track “Morning”, a song with various recorded versions throughout the years with very different atmospheres. The version released in 1971 on the album Agua Dulce  is a great taste of Cal’s style and has also been sampled for some great tracks such as Buckwild and OC’s “What I Represent”. Check out the jams below and enjoy!