Cannonball Adderley Birthday Tribute at the Iridium Jazz Club

Tue - Thur 8:00pm and 10:00pm
Fri & Sat 8:00pm, 10:00pm and 11:30pm
Sun 8:30pm and 10:30pm

Sept. 21-26 CANNONBALL ADDERLEY BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE
FEAT. JAMES MOODY, JAMES CARTER, with
Michael Wolff, Walter Booker, Roy McCurdy, Vincent Herring
Third Sets Fri. and Sunday with everyone except James Moody!

Julian Edwin “Cannonball" Adderley was born on September 15, 1928 in Tampa, Florida and died August 8th, 1975 in Gary, Indiana from a stroke. His alto playing took the free-blowing message Charlie Parker gave alto players and used it to simple yet devastating effect in pioneering the “soul jazz" movement, an offspring of bop heavily accented by R&B and gospel. His sense of melody and groove-oriented rhythm brought Adderley from recognition as a young lion alongside John Coltrane in Miles Davis' band (the two saxophonists engage in sublime dialog on the epochal Davis recording Kind of Blue to mainstream pop stature with the 1967 hit “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy"!

In honor of Cannonball's 76th birthday the Iridium is pleased to present a very special birthday tribute to this great alto legend.

In 1975 the pianist Michael Wolff was hired by Cannonball Adderley, and appeared on the Fantasy recording Phenix. Here's what Michael has to say about this band. “There was a real scene surrounding that band. It was like you were on a wave of forward motion." That band featured Cannonball's brother (now deceased) the cornetist Nat Adderley, keyboardist Michael Wolff, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Roy McCurdy.

This week at the Iridium, Michael, Walter and Roy reunite to honor and celebrate the music of Cannonball Adderley accompanied by jazz legends James Moody, James Carter and the altoist Vincent Herring.

At the heart of Cannonball's music is an exuberant and happy sound that communicated immediately to listeners that made him one of the most popular of all jazzmen. Come and celebrate his 76th at the Iridium Jazz Club Sept. 21-26!