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Cannonball Adderley with Milt Jackson: Things Are Getting Better
by David Rickert
Despite the title, with a lineup like this, it’s hard to believe that things could get any better. The obvious attraction is the chance to see two gifted improvisers in Adderley and Jackson trade licks, and the results sure don’t disappoint. The format is familiar; mostly a selection of blues, soul, and standard tunes played with a minimum of complications. Nothing is groundbreaking or novel; the format is merely an opportunity for a quintet of musicians to get together to ...
Continue ReadingCannonball Adderley/George Shearing: Quintets At Newport
by David Rickert
The 1957 Newport Jazz Festival must have been hopping; this is the second reissue in a year to pair two performances from that event (Verve released a Cecil Taylor/ Gigi Gryce & Donald Byrd set as part of their mini-LP series). The first performance comes courtesy of Cannonball Adderley, who had yet to make a name for himself; it was a later tenure with Miles Davis that gave him the celebrity he deserved. His quintet, which features brother Nat on ...
Continue ReadingCannonball Adderley: Cannonball Takes Charge
by Robert Gilbert
The recording of Cannonball Takes Charge was sandwiched in between two events that would help earn Cannonball Adderley a permanent place in jazz lore. Just the day before the album’s first session, he participated in the completion of Miles Davis’s seminal Kind of Blue. Five months after Cannonball Takes Charge was finished, he had Riverside producer Orrin Keepnews record his newly formed quintet at the Jazz Workshop in San Francisco which helped launch his career as one of the leading ...
Continue ReadingCannonball Adderley: Radio Nights
by Jim Santella
Radio broadcasts from The Half Note in New York during the last week of 1967 and the first week of 1968 make up the set of distinctive material on Radio Nights. The live audience reaction puts the listener right there, to share in each exciting moment. Cannonball Adderley was at his best, and the ensembles remained loose. Microphone placement does considerable damage to the balance: Joe Zawinul and Nat Adderley are, at times, in the far-off distance. The leader, however, ...
Continue ReadingCannonball Adderley: The Definitive Cannonball Adderley
by Jim Santella
Recorded between February 1957 and August 1971 and featuring Cannonball Adderley in various contexts, Blue Note’s definitive collection touches upon all the high points of a memorable career. The alto saxophonist influenced thousands of followers. His collaborations with his brother Nat, leader Miles Davis and arranger Gil Evans made unforgettable music. Cannonball Adderley brought the blues into his music night in and night out. “Sack o’ Woe,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and “The Jive Samba” remain as several of the jazz ...
Continue ReadingCannonball Adderley: Know What I Mean?
by David Rickert
It must have seemed like a winning combination at the time; Evans and Addereley, two contributors to the Kind Of Blue album, paired with the bassist and drummer from the Modern Jazz Quartet. Unfortunately the results are less than stellar, resulting in a merely good album instead of a classic one. In actuality Evans and Adderley, removed from the guiding force of Miles, have little in common with one another; Evans was certainly the most important ingredient in the modal ...
Continue ReadingThe Cannonball Adderley Quintet: Them Dirty Blues
by Jim Santella
Quite familiar to the world’s jazz audience, “Dat Dere," “Work Song" and many more were brought to us by the Adderley brothers. This reissue brings together two sessions, recorded February 1 and March 29, 1960 in New York and Chicago. The New York date features Bobby Timmons, while the later, Chicago date substitutes Barry Harris. Originally issued as Riverside 1170, this reissue adds two alternate tracks from the February New York date with Timmons on piano. They’re not much different ...
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