Latest Release
- 1 MAR 2024
- 8 Songs
- Greatest Jazz Masters · 1955
- Jazz Jukebox, Vol. 2 · 1957
- Somethin' Else (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition Remastered) · 1955
- Lift Every Voice! - Honoring the African American Musical Legacy · 1900
- Know What I Mean? (Remastered) · 1961
- Greatest Jazz Masters · 1958
- Somethin' Else · 1958
- Somethin' Else (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition Remastered) · 1958
- Nancy Wilson & Cannonball Adderley · 1962
- Nancy Wilson & Cannonball Adderley · 1962
Essential Albums
- When Cannonball Adderley recorded this low-key masterpiece in March of 1958, he was a member of Miles Davis's influential sextet. Davis's fertile group was pushing the boundaries of jazz, so this Blue Note session provided an opportunity for some lighthearted, unassuming play. Adderley's boss takes on a supporting role here, but his restrained yet stunning statements on trumpet are central to the established mood. A seductive minor-key intro kicks off a stately 11-minute reading of the standard, "Autumn Leaves," with Davis's warm, glowing horn caressing the theme before giving way to Adderley's fluid alto lines. Equally beautiful is their version of Cole Porter's "Love for Sale," taken at a jaunty little pace with drummer Art Blakey at his subtle best. Davis wrote the title track and, not surprisingly, it comes closest to the cool modal style that he'd been developing with his own band. With Hank Jones, Sam Jones, and Blakey filling out a veteran rhythm section, this is delightfully understated, approachable music.
Artist Playlists
- The jazz great left behind iconic recordings and launched legendary careers.
- Out-there concepts, fiery touches and steady blues playing.
- 2023
- 2022
- 2018
- 2017
Appears On
- Nancy Wilson
- John Benson Brooks
- Ray Brown With The All-Star Big Band
- John Benson Brooks and His Orchestra
About Cannonball Adderley
Alto saxophonist Julian Edwin “Cannonball” Adderley was involved in some of the greatest recordings of the hard-bop and soul jazz eras as an agile sideman and bandleader. He was born in Tampa in 1928, and in the early 1940s he and his trumpeter brother, Nat, played with Ray Charles. Adderley made a series of albums for EmArcy and Savoy after he moved to New York in 1955, attracting the attention of Miles Davis, who invited him to join his own band in 1957. Adderley made indelible contributions to Milestones and the classic Kind of Blue, playing alongside John Coltrane on the frontline. Davis returned the favour, playing on the saxophonist’s superb 1958 Blue Note album Somethin’ Else. Adderley continued to lead his own bands, recording for a variety of labels. He adapted to shifting tastes in the 1960s, cutting a breakthrough collaboration with singer Nancy Wilson in 1962, dabbling in bossa nova and helping to popularise the soul jazz sound, particularly with his 1967 album Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at “The Club”, whose Joe Zawinul-penned title track became a major crossover hit. He embraced the influences of soul and rock music into the next decade, recording until his death in 1975 at 46.
- HOMETOWN
- Tampa, FL, United States
- BORN
- 15 September 1928
- GENRE
- Jazz