Cal Tjader's
Breeze from the East combined the vibist's Latin lounge style with kitschy Asian touches. In lieu of the Asian-born material and
Lalo Schifrin's airy arrangements found on its predecessor
Several Shades of Jade, though,
Tjader opted here for
Stan Applebaum's self-penned go-go charts. On "Sake and Greens," "Cha," and "Shoji," mod-rock guitar lines shadow
Tjader's solos on pat-sounding Oriental scales, while pianist
Lonnie Hewitt keeps up a soul-jazz rhythm -- picture '60s-era James Bond on a wild chase through the heart of Tokyo.
Tjader's traditionally light, Latin combo approach -- sans much of the Eastern ornamentation -- is still used on standards like "Stardust" and "East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)" and even worked to somewhat sublime heights on "Fuji" and "Black Orchid." The ultra-smooth Latin jazz sound
Tjader favored has always been more infectious than demanding and
Breeze from the East's commercialized mod/eastern elements only end up expanding the pop exotica mix. ~ Stephen Cook