Heat Wave (Cal Tjader and Carmen McRae album)

Heat Wave
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 1982
RecordedCoast Recorders, San Francisco, California, US
GenreLatin jazz, vocal jazz
Length40:50
LabelConcord Jazz
CJ-189 (12" LP)
CCD-4189-2 (CD)
ProducerCarl Jefferson
Cal Tjader chronology
A fuego vivo
(1981)
Heat Wave
(1982)
Good Vibes
(1984)
Carmen McRae chronology
Recorded Live at Bubba's
(1981)
Heat Wave
(1982)
You're Looking at Me
(1984)

Heat Wave is a 1982 studio album by vibraphonist Cal Tjader and jazz singer Carmen McRae. Tjader died four months after the completion of Heat Wave, it was his final recording.

The album was arranged by pianists Mark Levine and Marshall Otwell. McRae and Tjader did not get on well during the recording, and Tjader later overdubbed his parts without McRae present. McRae chose to sing "Besame Mucho" in its original Spanish language lyrics, and Willie Bobo helped her with the pronunciation.

Heat Wave peaked at 25 on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart.