Cal Tjader, born Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. on July 16, 1925, in St. Louis, Missouri, was a pioneering American Latin jazz musician renowned for his virtuosic vibraphone technique and his role in popularizing Latin jazz in the United States. Raised in San Mateo, California, Tjader was the son of Swedish American vaudevillians, which influenced his early exposure to music and performance. He initially trained in classical piano and tap dance, performing as a tap-dancing prodigy in the Bay Area.

Tjader served in the United States Navy during World War II and later studied percussion at San Francisco State College. He began his professional music career as a drummer with the Dave Brubeck Octet and the George Shearing Quintet before transitioning to the vibraphone, where he developed his signature style.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Tjader became a key figure in the Latin jazz movement, collaborating with legendary Afro-Cuban musicians like Mongo Santamaría, Armando Peraza, and Willie Bobo. His respect for Latin music traditions and his ability to integrate them with modern jazz made him a seminal figure in both genres. Tjader's most commercially successful album, "Soul Sauce" (1965), brought Latin jazz to mainstream American audiences with its hit title track.

Throughout his career, Tjader explored various musical styles, including bossa nova, samba, and Asian influences, working with arrangers such as Clare Fischer and Lalo Schifrin. He was instrumental in establishing San Francisco as a center of Latin jazz innovation and nurturing future talents like Poncho Sánchez, who regarded Tjader as a musical father.

Cal Tjader's contributions to jazz and Latin music were recognized with a Grammy award for his album "La Onda Va Bien" in 1980. He passed away on May 5, 1982, in Manila, Philippines, but his influence continues to resonate in the world of Latin jazz.