Dr. Herb Wong: A Remembrance

The following passage from Cal Tjader: The Life and Recordings of the Man Who Revolutionized Latin Jazz both illustrates Herb Wong’s overall academic credentials and just how much he devoted his life to jazz:

Dr. Herb Wong is a highly esteemed jazz educator, discographer, writer, critic, business executive (past president and chief producer for Palo Alto Jazz Records and Blackhawk Records) and former disc jockey for the now defunct radio station KJAZ. In addition, he has produced, adjudicated and hosted many jazz events across the United States. Outside of his work on behalf of jazz, Wong has taught at Western Washington University and the University of California at Berkeley and has written science and ecology books.  

My first encounter with Herb Wong was at his home in Menlo Park, California on May 18, 2005. Herb was relaxed and cordial during our interview, revealing his long personal and professional connection with Cal Tjader. He first met Tjader at Oakland’s Burma Lounge circa 1949, and by the early 1960s, had established a friendship that would deepen with the passing years. As he informed and entertained me with Tjader stories and other jazz anecdotes from his past, I was taken with how much enthusiasm he had for my project. Herb mentioned that another witer, several years earlier, had begun a musical analysis of all Tjader’s albums. He was dismayed that the proposed book never came to fruition.

This in person meeting was followed by two more telephone interviews in June, but that was not the end of our association. From that point on until I turned in the manuscript to McFarland in December 2012, we called each other periodically. We would talk about the book he wanted to write on brothers in jazz, such as bassist Percy Heath and his tenor sax playing brother Jimmy. In fact, at Menlo Park, he had asked me for suggestions and was pleased with my answer: guitarist Eddie Duran and his pianist sibling Manny, who died of a lung ailment in the summer of 2005. Unfortunately, Herb's great idea didn’t make it into print.   

Three or four years down the line, Herb Wong wanted to collect his best articles and liner notes into one volume and asked me if I thought McFarland would be interested. I encouraged him to contact my editor, David Alff, who, in turn, demonstrated his confidence by offering a contract. Herb and I subsequently discussed how he could put it all together. He was primarily concerned with how to organize the myriad pieces in his possession, whether to designate a different category for each type of writing, and within that framework, whether do it chronologically or thematically. I was honored that he asked for my advice. Glaucoma, however, progressively took away most of his eyesight. I twice offerred to type it up for a realtively small fee, but, to my surprise, he was low on cash.

All in all, Herb was consistently supportive and very understanding about not only how rewarding writing a biography can be but also that it requires years of painstaking attention to detail. In the fall of 2013, he left a heartwarming message on my answering machine concerning the Cal Tjader biography. I called him back and he was very efffusive in his praise. Specifically, that he was up all night reading it and was impressed with how I wove all the material together, not just the text but the photos and accopanying captions as well. Next, he said that I had captured who Tjader was; this was particularly important for those who were close to Cal. I responded by telling him how much his stamp of approval meant to me. Sadly, that was our last conversation. I had thought about checking in with him early this year, but put it off. He died on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014, at the age of 88. I sent his wife, Marilyn, a note of condolence and she thoughtfully acknowledged me with a personal "Thank You" card. Finally, a smile came to my face when I found out that Herb Wong's friend, Paul Fingerote, is completing work on the aforementioned compilation book. According to David Alff, McFarland has tentatively scheduled it for publication in 2015. I will kept readers abreast of any new developments.

To wind up this remembrance, here are two excerpts from the Cal Tjader book; the first two paragraphs are from chapter 3, p. 134-135: 

“Daddy Wong Legs,"  [Soul Bird's] uplifting finale, has a humorous story attached to it. “We were drinking at El Matador around 1964 or ‘65,” said Herb Wong. “I was having a King Alphonse, my sissy drink. Cal accidentally hit my left elbow and spilled the drink all over my nice camel-haired sport jacket. He said, ‘Oh, no! I’m so sorry, Herb.’ I said, ‘No problem, I’ll take it to the dry cleaners.’ Cal [calls] the next day and says he is going to write a song for me. I told him it wasn’t necessary but he really wanted to. Cal kept calling me with different song titles, such as 'Wong Way Street' and 'If It’s Not Wong, It’s Right.' I told him to forget it. [Then] he calls me at 2 A.M. I’m groggy and didn’t remember the next day that Cal said he would be recording ‘Daddy Wong Legs’ for me. I apparently had agreed to it.

“Eventually, Cal brought the test pressing over to KJAZ and I had no idea what it was. I never knew what he would bring.... He played different parts of Soul Bird but the first thing he did was play ‘Daddy Wong Legs.’ He was so fidgety; he couldn’t wait to do that to me. He thought that I didn’t know the title because I was so groggy at the time he first mentioned it. Also, I made no anticipatory comment about it. Cal just had a ball; he laughed and laughed. Then he got up and danced around while saying, ‘I gotcha! I gotcha!’ [chuckles]. I said, ‘You sure did.’”

The last two paragraphs are from chapter 5, p. 238:

Tjader and Herb Wong bonded on their love for jazz. Wong would usually catch Tjader at El Matador three or four nights in a row. On each occasion, after the final set, they would make the rounds of all the jazz clubs on Broadway. Wong always prepared a list of the headliners and their schedules. This way he and Tjader could go back and forth across the street and hear one set at Basin Street West, the Jazz Workshop and so on. “All of the managers and [doormen] would say, ‘You guys are here again?’ ‘We’re here again’” [laughs].

The many nights he spent at El Matador revealed to Wong what a clever bandleader Tjader was. “He paced his sets very intelligently, with taste and understanding of how an audience may move from one context to another and still have logic in the set of music that he was presenting.” Tjader was able to express his musical ideas to a broader audience because he could please both straight and Latin jazz purists and ballad lovers during the same performance. “That’s not an ad hoc skill,” continued Wong. “[It’s] something that matures.... The feeling that he would maximize his contribution to the music while ... also contributing to the audience’s pleasure, and hopefully, growth.”

Herb Wong wrote liner notes for the following Cal Tjader LPs:

Warm Wave (Verve V6-8585).

Soul Burst (Verve 557 446-2).

The Prophet (Verve POC J-2779).

Last Night When We Were Young: Cal Tjader with Strings (Fantasy F-9482).

Breathe Easy (Galaxy GXY-5107).

The Shining Sea (Concord Jazz CJ-159).

Cal Tjader on Television: The Early Years

 Cal Tjader’s first known television appearance took place on September 26, 1952. His trio backed former Woody Herman vocalist Mary Ann McCall during San Francisco at Night, broadcast live on KPIX-TV, a CBS affiliate. Next, Tjader, as Modern Mambo Quintet members Bayardo "Benny" Velarde (timbales and bongos), newly hired conguero Luis Miranda, pianist Manny Duran and brother Carlos (bass) watched, received Down Beat’s “Best Small Group of the Nation” award from local disc jockey Don Sherwood on his KGO-TV (ABC affiliate) show Pop Club; the date was April 23, 1955. This was followed by a telethon for San Francisco’s National Educational Television––replaced by PBS in October 1970––affiliate KQED on June 24 and Dottie Hansen’s KGO-TV show Hi Time on July 25, 1956.

Stars of Jazz, hosted by pianist/composer Bobby Troup and broadcast from the Los Angeles area (KABC-TV) from 1956-58, welcomed Cal Tjader for the first time on February 11, 1957. Tjader, Vince Guaraldi, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Al Torre, commenced the set with “Lover Come Back to Me,” a vehicle driven by a fast-paced vibraphone solo. Then the jazz quartet slowed down for “The Night We Called it a Day” and the leader demonstrated his continually evolving skills as a balladeer. But the real ear-catchers were heard after songbird Shirley Saunders’ rendition of “Taking a Chance On Love."

"Bernie's Tune" had changed significantly since Tjader recorded his first Cuban-tinged version nearly three years earlier. Not only was there a new arrangement but the vibist had replaced the central theme with his own groove, while the original theme was used to wind things up. Moreover, he gave Guaraldi room to roam and the pianist's unique, bouncy style, still in its early stage of development, was amply displayed. On "Jammin'," Torre returned to his drum stool after standing behind the timbales on "Bernie's Tune." Tjader generally preferred conguero Luis Kant to lay out when he called a straight-ahead number, but occasionally an exception was made. Here, without a hitch, Kant transitioned from the Cuban feel to this bluesy, head-bobbing closer.

1957 also saw Tjader on World of Jazz (KRON-TV, August 1), The Don Sherwood Show (KGO-TV, August 10) and Del Courtney Showcase (KPIX-TV, September 7); Woody Herman and June Christy costarred. For World of Jazz, the vibist performed with the program’s regulars, Bob Scobey and his Dixieland Band, and then was interviewed by local disc jockey Charlie Stern.

Tjader had been absent from television for over nine months, when, on the morning of June 30, 1958, he made another visit to Stars of Jazz, now broadcast nationwide. Guaraldi was still around, but earlier in the year Wright, Torre and Kant had been replaced by Al McKibbon, Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria, respectively. In the background,  Tjader opened with his finger popping original “Bill B., and Troup, best known for the classic “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” and subsequently as an actor, introduced the vibist as “a student in the art of percussion in several of its more fascinating forms.” But he neglected to say anything about the rest of the quintet.

After showing Tjader in close-up––his eyes locked on the shiny metal bars––director Hap Weyman shifted the focus to a smiling Bobo. The drummer was apparently digging his leader’s mallets as they whipped through a solo on “Crow’s Nest.” Then the camera moved on to Guaraldi’s thick hands during the pianist’s subtle swinging turn. McKibbon, too, was given room to jump. Following a short tour through the vibraphone’s Asian antecedents by Troup, Tjader led his jazz quartet in a rendition of “Liz-Anne.” As had been the case when Oakland Tribune jazz critic Russ Wilson heard the tune at Berkeley earlier in the year, the waltz theme was established before a move was made into the jazzy middle part––the drummer in 4/4 and the bassist keeping a 3/4 beat. Concurrently, Tjader used different tempos in his solo. Unlike the Berkeley concert, however, he didn’t have time to let Guaraldi improvise.

In an interesting sidebar, saxophonist Gary Foster recalled that the vibraphonist no longer wanted to tackle the complex ballad during the tail end of his career. Consequently, Foster or pianist Clare Fischer would be directed to take over.

Next, Troup segued to vocalist Ernestine Anderson, new on the scene at the time, for her interpretations of “There Will Never Be Another You” and  “III Wind.” In the end, Santamaria was brought up for “Tumbao,” the last of Tjader’s four compositions to be presented. This was the era when it was popular for beatniks to read their poetry to the sounds of jazz. Stars of Jazz had a more unusual approach, however; footage of artist Pat Fitzgerald composing a finger painting was intercut with shots of the quintet, particularly the congas of Santamaria and timbales of Bobo. As the credits rolled, Tjader reprised “Bill B.” for his encore.

The above show was definitely a catalyst for Cal Tjader when it came to getting future small screen bookings. Just a month later, his quintet reappeared on the Don Sherwood Show and then on KQED for a series of live performances in August and September 1958.

 Comparatively few jazz buffs and devotees of Ralph J. Gleason are aware that approximately two years before his renown series Jazz Casual went national on NET in 1961, he had invited Tjader to perform on two KQED programs (August 12 & 19, 1959) that used the same format as he would eventually use for Jazz Casual. For the first show, Tjader was featured in an informal conversation with Gleason. Then he demonstrated how to play the vibraphone and led his jazz quartet––Lonnie Hewitt had replaced Guaraldi in January––through a short set. The second show, in contrast, focused on Cuban jazz and Tjader shared the spotlight with Bobo and Santamaria.

Before the decade ended, the Cal Tjader Quintet, now with Eddie Coleman on bass, was invited to perform on Hugh Hefner’s new late-night show Playboy’s Penthouse, taped at the magazine mogul’s fantasy bachelor pad in Chicago. But outside of club and concert dates, only those who tracked Bay Area jazz radio could hear Tjader during the next two years, as he didn't pop up on television again until 1962. The vibist’s quintet was showcased several times that year, most notably on Jazz Scene, U. S. A., a Los Angeles based television program created by Steve Allen and produced by Jimmie Baker, the man behind Stars of Jazz.  

Cal’s quartet played a swinging number called “Give Irving My Love" over the opening montage of local jazz clubs. Then, after being introduced by host Oscar Brown Jr., they launched into Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” and "Come Rain or Come Shine.” As the show entered its second half, Bill Fitch joined Cal, Lonnie Hewitt, bassist Freddie Schreiber and John Rae. Fitch played a long tubular shaker and cowbell on "Manhã de Carnaval" and congas on “Half and Half.” Rae played drum set and timbales, respectively. The studio audience and singer/ songwriter Brown, an affable jazz hipster, were snapping their fingers and cheering at appropriate intervals throughout the half-hour running time.

Baker expanded the format of Jazz Scene, U. S. A.–– in syndication for only 26 episodes––to include interaction between the host and his guests. On Stars of Jazz, Troup would provide a little background on the jazz stars and then introduce them. Brown, or alternate host Vern Stevenson, on the other hand, would approach the musicians directly. For instance, when Tjader came on the show, Brown asked the vibist a few questions about his latest album, namely Cal Tjader Plays the Contemporary Music of Mexico and Brazil.

Cal Tjader continued to be a familiar television presence until his premature death in 1982, appearing on many talk shows, such as the Steve Allen Show, Dinah Shore Show and Merv Griffin Show. Given that they were childhood friends, he was booked on the latter’s program more often after Griffin relocated from New York to Hollywood in 1970. These visits would either feature Tjader’s ensemble or the vibist himself jamming with Griffin’s jazz orchestra, which included, among others, trombonist Kai Winding, bassist Ray Brown and trumpeter Jack Sheldon.

The Tjader quintet’s performance on Playboy’s Penthouse, which contains the selections “Cubano Chant,” “Poinciana” and a straight-ahead “Doxy,” was made available on DVD when Hugh Hefner released Playboy After Dark, Collection Two in 2007. There are two black and white Penthouse shows (1959 & 1960) on Disc 1 and two color After Dark shows (1970 and 1968) on Disc 2. All in all, an excellent time capsule of classic music and comedy. The ensuing is just a short list of other guests: Tony Bennett, Count Basie, Phyllis Diller, Johnny Mathis, Grateful Dead and Sid Caesar. Although the set is out-of-print as of this writing, copies may be found floating around on the Internet or in appropriate stores.

The majority of the aforementioned programs, to my knowledge, are not available on DVD. For example, at the end of our interview session in February 2005, I asked Merv Griffin if any of the shows with Cal Tjader were available. He wasn’t sure if his staff had saved them and referred me to his former producer Bob Murphy, who grew up with Tjader and Griffin in San Mateo, CA. Shortly thereafter, I asked Murphy if any of Tjader’s performances would be released, as many of Griffin’s shows had already been put out on DVD. At a later date, he confirmed that the Tjader programs had ended up in the trash can. Moreover, James Harrod, author of the forthcoming Jazz: West, answered my query about Stars of Jazz and Jazz Scene, U. S. A.: “The kinescope of Cal Tjader's Stars of Jazz appearance [in 1957]  was erased by KABC along with other priceless appearances in order to reuse the medium. The video of the Jazz Scene USA show is probably preserved, but it was not selected for VHS or DVD reissue.  I believe that Meadowlane Productions would be the entity to petition for release on DVD.” Harrod's blogs (starsofjazz.blogspot.com and jazzsceneusa.blogspot.com) contain fascinating information and memorabilia. 

Fortunately, some episodes of Stars of Jazz have have survived. Three DVDs with various episodes from 1958 (featuring artists such as Shelly Manne, Paul Horn and Julie London) are available on the web as of this writing. Furthermore, some out-of-print DVDs of Jazz Scene U.S.A. (with Manne, Shorty Rogers, Frank Rosolino and other West Coast stars) pop up now and again. Lastly, jazz film preservationist Mark Cantor has Tjader's 1958 Stars of Jazz performance in his vast collection. Cantor periodically holds special screenings of his clips and posts some of them online. One can always keep an eye out for Tjader while perusing his offerings. 

P. S.: For those who would like to see Tjader's episode of Jazz Scene U.S.A.  on DVD, please contact: 

William Allen, President 

Meadowlane Music Inc,

15201 Burbank Boulevard # B

Van Nuys, CA 91411 

Phone: (818) 988-3830