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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.

From 1956-57, Adderley led his own band featuring Nat, pianist Junior Mance and bassist Sam Jones. The group broke up when he was invited to join the Miles Davis Quintet in 1957. Davis expanded his group to a Sextet soon thereafter by hiring saxophonist John Coltrane. "I felt that Cannonball's blues-rooted alto sax up against Trane's harmonic, chordal way of playing, his more free-form approach, would create a new kind of feeling," Davis explained in his autobiography.

From 1957-59, Adderley recorded some of his best work on the landmark Davis albums Milestones and Kind of Blue within this sextet. Davis reciprocated with a guest appearance on Adderly's 1958 solo album Somethin' Else, which also included bassist Jones, pianist Hank Jones, and drummer Art Blakey.

Adderley left the Davis band to reform his quintet in 1959, this time with his brother, Sam Jones, pianist Bobby Timmons and drummer Louis Hayes. Yusef Lateef made it a sextet around 1962; pianist Joe Zawinul replaced Timmons around 1963. Other band alumni include Charles Lloyd, and pianists Barry Harris, Victor Feldman and George Duke.

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Dom Minasi
guitar
Noah Peterson
saxophone
Keith Pray
saxophone
Anna Brooks
saxophone
Lynda Murray
saxophone, alto
Frank Macchia
composer / conductor
Albert Rivera
saxophone, tenor
Doug Munro
guitar
Ed Palermo
saxophone
Fred Haas
saxophone
Sharel Cassity
saxophone
Ofer Shapira
saxophone
Chris Gale
saxophone, tenor
Lynn Ligammari
saxophone
Richard Howell
saxophone
Amy Shook
bass, acoustic
Tony Exum, Jr
saxophone
Laurent Doumont
saxophone
Brent Bowman
saxophone, alto
Frido ter Beek
saxophone
Damani Phillips
saxophone
F. ter Beek
saxophone
Melanie Howell-Brooks
saxophone, baritone
Chris Engel
saxophone, alto
The Ed Palermo Big Band
band / orchestra
Aldo Salvent
saxophone, tenor
Alex Hahn
saxophone, alto
Benjamin Deschamps
saxophone, alto
Joan Hutton
saxophone
Jason Kush
saxophone
Zac Zinger
saxophone, tenor
Karolis Šarkus
saxophone, alto
Ally Fiola
saxophone
Adam Claussen
saxophone
Pureum Jin
saxophone, alto
The Rookies
arranger
Bill Hauser
saxophone, tenor
Glen Manby
saxophone, alto
Gemma Sherry
voice / vocals
Alex Clarke
saxophone
Patricia López
saxophone
David Bode
saxophone
Ian Charleton
composer / conductor
Dave Coules
saxophone
Andres Hayes
saxophone, tenor
Alex León Reyes
saxophone, alto
Kyle James
saxophone, alto
Erich Fischer
vibraphone
Angelina Kolobukhova
voice / vocals
Steve Britt
saxophone

Photos

Album Discography

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Waltz For Debby

American Jazz Classics
2019

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The Legendary Quartet...

American Jazz Classics
2014

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Kind Of Blue

Not Now Music
2010

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