Cal Tjader - Here And There (1977/2021)

For the recording of vibraphonist Cal Tjader's 1977 Guarabe LP, the influential Latin jazz pioneer was leading a hornless quintet/sextet that included Clare Fischer's electric piano as a key part of the band's sound. With guitarist Bob Redfield, bassist Rob Fisher, drummer Pete Riso, the talented (but at the time obscure) percussionist Poncho Sanchez, and (on the first half) Carmelo Garcia on timbales keeping the proceedings heated, Tjader's group livens up such numbers as "This Masquerade," "Morning" and even the pop tune "If." An enjoyable if not essential release.