Cal Tjader Serves Up "Soul Sauce"

Vibraphonist and bandleader Cal Tjader's 1964 "Soul Sauce (Guachi Guaro)" recording is a prime example of Latin jazz. This track is off the record of the same name. Buying "Soul Sauce" a month or two ago on a recommendation from a magazine, I instantly fell in love with the opening track. Originally written and performed by Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo, "Soul Sauce" provides a delightful romp through the standard features of the genre, the straight-ahead beat of a cowbell keeping time.

Tjader's work on the vibes overshadows everything else on this track, but the other players include Lonnie Hewitt on piano, John Hilliard on bass, Johnny Rae on drums, and percussionists Armando Pereza and Alberto Valdez. Willie Bobo, a former member of Tito Puente's band, is a guest on this tune. Clare Fisher, Poncho Sanchez, Rod Fisher and Vince Ladiano join Cal Tjader in the live clip linked at the beginning of the article.

"Soul Sauce" begins with two dizzying strands of vibraphone, each punctuated with a chorus of "guachi guaro"-s (which is just Spanish gibberish, by the way), and the percussion brings the rest of the band in for the main line. The percussion, the cowbell mentioned earlier, and an instrument that sounds like a giant spring stretched and released on the first beat of each bar, propels the song through two run-throughs of the melody, before being replaced by syncopated piano chords and handclaps. A Latino man accompanies with random exclamations. Compared to the earlier part of the song, which sounds like the musical backing to a Spanish Saturday morning cartoon, this section is sultrier and more inviting for a couple to get a little closer. A build-up of slaps to the conga and cowbell sends Tjader into a tight solo that never strays too far from the melody and sounds quick and brisk compared to the sluggish piano and hesitant handclaps. Speaking of which, that section is repeated, followed again by a vibraphone solo, and the coda echoes the hypnotizing effect of Tjader's opening whirlwind.

"Soul Sauce" was a huge success in the early- to mid-60's, landing into Billboard's Top 50 Albums of 1965 and popularizing the word "salsa." Its mainstream appeal can be found in its time length (it runs under three minutes long), its bouncy energy, and its sonic placement in the realm of salsa, Latin jazz and other dance movements that were being popularized at the time. Cal Tjader continued making music, winning a Grammy in 1980, and touring until his death in 1982.

Watch a live performance of Soul Sauce.