I’ve been dabbling in the used-record market to feed the maw of my newish turntable. One thing I’ve really wanted was Cal Tjader’s Tjader Plays Mambo (1956), which is long out of print.
I managed to find a copy in the old red vinyl format that Fantasy Records used in the 50s (along with Tjader Plays Tjazz which is a fun album, but less of a must-have).
The discs themselves are less than pristine (few of us are as we approach our 70s), but it’s hard to express how magical these things are to my eye and ear. Vinyl in general is less common nowadays, but translucent vinyl in bright colors is often seen in modern issues.
But these Fantasy discs were the only red records in my parents’ pretty extensive stacks of wax. And, when we (my siblings and me) played them out of curiosity, the music was wildly fascinating. The vibes from those vibraphones went right through my head, leaving trails of light behind them.
There are other great jazz vibraphonists, I know, but Tjader is still the guy on whom I rely for the vibes.
