Jazz 45: Soul Bird

I'm not a huge collector of Verve sides, primarily because not many have come my way besides Jimmy Smith 45s. Tonight I'm featuring perhaps the best Verve 45 I own (OK, I highly recommend Kenny Burrell's 'Burning Spear' 45, too) or at least the latest one to wow me, Cal Tjader's "Soul Bird".

What really knocks me over is the bass playing - it's so strident, almost psychedelic. And it's real nice when the vibes make their debut soon after. The intensity of the bass recedes and reappears dependent on what the vibes are doing. When the rest of the band comes in, it bulds nicely. I especially like the piano and the percussion bits. The drummer really only stays on the cymbal, so the other percussion gets to handle the beat when it appears. But it's all about the interplay between the bass and the vibes. That really makes the tune.