Cal Tjader - Live at the Funky Quarters (1972) LP

A 1972 live set, Live at the Funky Quarters is every bit of its time: Cal Tjader's vibraphone is supported by Al Zulaica's electric piano and John Heard's Jaco Pastorious-style bass-as-lead-instrument, giving the whole thing a fusiony sheen that will be the dealbreaker for many listeners. Those not constitutionally averse to early-'70s fusion will find much to enjoy here, however, as Tjader plays with his usual grace and fluidity, and Zulaica's electric piano solos are refreshingly free of Chick Corea-style overplaying. The jazz-rock-inflected reworkings of earlier Tjader favorites like "Manteca" and "Soul Sauce III" -- which features an amazing extended percussion breakdown section buoyed by Heard's rubbery bassline -- work surprisingly well, and newer material like "Philly Mambo" and the delicate ballad "Mother and Child" is well-suited to the players' strengths.