Cannonball Adderley
Both as the leader of his own bands as well as an alto and soprano saxophone stylist, Julian Edwin Cannonball Adderley was one of the progenitors of the swinging, rhythmically robust style of music that became known as hard-bop.
Born September 15, 1928, into a musical family in Florida, Adderley was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950. He became leader of the 36th Army Dance Band, led his own band while studying music at the U.S. Naval Academy and then led an army band while stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Originally nicknamed Cannibal in high school for his voracious appetite, the nickname mutated into Cannonball and stuck.
In 1955, Adderley traveled to New York City with his younger brother and lifelong musical partner, Nat Jr. (cornet). The elder Adderley sat in on a club date with bassist Oscar Pettiford and created such a furvor that he was signed almost immediately to a recording contract and was often (if not entirely accurately) called the new Bird.
Adderley's direct style on alto was indebted to the biting clarity of Charlie Parker, but it also significantly drew from the warm, rounded tones of Benny Carter; hard swingers such as Louis Jordan and Eddie Cleanhead Vinson were important influences as well. Adderly became a seminal influence on the hard-driving style known as hard-bop, and could swing ferociously at faster tempos, yet he was also an effective and soulful ballad stylist.
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Interview
Multiple Reviews
Album Review
- Swingin' in Seattle, Live at the Penthouse 1966-1967 by Luca Canini
- Swingin' In Seattle, Live At The Penthouse 1966-1967 by Mike Jurkovic
Radio & Podcasts
My Blue Note Obsession
Reassessing
Film Review
Album Review
- The Cannonball Adderley Sextet in New York by Samuel Chell
September 15, 2021
Jazz Musician of the Day: Cannonball Adderley
September 15, 2020
Jazz Musician of the Day: Cannonball Adderley
April 10, 2020
Portrait Of Cannonball Adderley: Award-Winning Saxophonist Tony Kofi...
September 15, 2019
Jazz Musician of the Day: Julian "Cannonball" Adderley
July 25, 2019
Cannonball Adderley: EmArcy #1
September 15, 2018
Jazz Musician of the Day: Julian "Cannonball" Adderley
July 16, 2018
Cannonball Adderley on Kung Fu
September 15, 2017
Jazz Musician of the Day: Julian "Cannonball" Adderley
September 15, 2016
Jazz Musician of the Day: Julian "Cannonball" Adderley