Cannonball Adderley Essay, Research Paper
On September 15, 1928, Julian Edwin Adderley was born in
Tampa, Florida and would later become known to the jazz
world as Cannonball Adderley. Adderley s fiery, blues-ridden
jazz tunes would make him one of the greatest alto
saxophonists of his generation. Influenced by the great
Charlie Parker among others, Adderley brought jazz to a
whole new genre of people pretty much untouched by jazz
before. His popularity hit its height in the 1960 s and he
continued to whoo crowds and critics alike well into the
1990 s.
Growing up as a child in Florida, Adderley often found
himself keeping himself occupied usually by playing musical
instruments, mainly the saxophone. He attended school and
after high school, went on to do his musical studies of
brass and reed instruments in Tallahassee, Florida from
1944-1948 (Cannonball). While attending school, he earned
the nickname Cannibal for his extreme appetite and eating
habits. This would latter lead into Cannonball for his
ferocious sax playing. Following his graduation, Adderley
became a high school band director at Dillard High School in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was following in his father s
footsteps, whom he admired so much. Cannonball s father was
a trumpet player and had the biggest influence over him as a
musician and in his life.
It was in 1955 that Adderley got his break in the
music world. Already having an established career in
Florida, he was persuaded by the legendary saxophonist and
R&B singer Eddie Cleanhead Vinson to take a trip to New
York. Originally wanting to pursue graduate studies, it was
here he was coerced into playing a sit in position with
Oscar Pettiford s group at the Caf Bohemia (Miton). Over
the course of a ninety-minute set, Adderley created such a
sensation that his playing was talked about for weeks. In
fact, he created such a stir that within a matter of weeks,
he had signed with Savoy Records and began playing some jazz
that is among the greatest jazz ever played.
In the Army, Adderley was the director of the band as
well as the leader of his own jazz quartet in Florida, so
he was no stranger to the scene when Savoy asked him to put
together a band. Along with his younger brother, Nat, on
trumpet, Sam Jones, and Louis Hayes, they formed a quintet
that struggled until its breakup in 1957 (Miton). Despite
the struggles, Cannonball played amazingly all throughout
New York and his performances were the buzz of the town.
Adderley was being hailed by many as the next musician to
succeed the legendary Charlie Parker. Adderley s distinct
approach to playing the alto sax gained him the respect and
admiration of many musicians including Benny Carter as well
as Parker (Carver). Perhaps the one person who most
acknowledged the talent of Adderley was Miles Davis.
Following his quintet s breakup, Adderley joined Davis,
forming part of the super sextet along with John Coltrane,
Red Garland, Bill Evans and/or Wynton Kelly (Cannonball). He
appeared on such classic jazz recording as Milestones and
the highly celebrated Kind of Blue. Also during this time,
he recorded his own album, Something Else which featured a
guest appearance by Miles Davis, a rare, but beautiful
honor.
In 1958, Adderley signed on with Riverside Records but
continued on with Davis and the sextet for a few more
months. In mid-1959, Adderley left Davis to reunite with his
brother Nat to form the new Cannonball Adderley quintet. The
group included Sam Jones and Louis Hayes only later to be
replaced later by Victor Gaskin, Walter Booker, and Roy
McCrudy. Along with pianist Bobby Timmons, the group had a
hit with the waltz This Here (Miton). This was the
beginning of what became known as Soul Jazz (Gridley).
From this point on, Adderley was able to work successfully
with his bands and played quite a bit of soulful renditions
of jazz and hard bop musical styles (Ramsey). During his
time at Riverside Records, he released a number of albums,
but the significant thing about them was that most of them
were recorded live. On stage, Adderley demonstrated an
affirmative personality that was reflected in his music.
Playing live is when you have to be at your best Nat
Adderley said in 1961 (Miton). People want to hear the best
of what a musician has to offer when they listen to their
albums.
Over the next sixteen years, numerous hits followed
Adderley but it was not until he signed with Capitol Records
in 1963 that commercial success came. His quintet gradually
grew into a sextet with either Yusef Lateef or Charles
Lloyd. Often the band featured such pianists/composers as
Barry Harris, Victor Feldman, George Duke, Hal Galper, and
Joe Zwinul whom Adderley scored a hit with with the song
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (Carver). This song provided Adderley
with a major hit; eventually reaching number 11 on the
charts in February of 1967. The band s last major hit came
in 1970 with the song Country Preacher , again a Zwinul
composed song, which peaked at number 29 on the R&B charts.
Throughout the 1960 s, the Adderley quintet was one of the
world s biggest jazz groups playing to more packed audiences
than most other bands of its generation (Miton).
Despite being a great musician, Adderley had a knack
for finding new talent and he was a great listener. He
introduced several prominent musicians through employing
them in his ensemble and served as a studio record producer.
Cannonball introduced the jazz world to such musicians as
Wes Mongomery, produced the debut album of Chuck Mangione
and collaborated with a young Nancy Wilson (Miton). He
served as a prominent spokesperson for jazz through
television work and residencies at several top-notch
universities (Gridley).
Throughout his life and career, Adderley was well
respected and earned the admiration of hid fellow peers and
critics. Up until his death, he was continuously working on
new ways to revolutionize jazz and reinvent his musical
styles. He had a way with the alto saxophone that was
extraordinary, unlike anything anyone had ever seen. His
styles were a welcome reminder of the blues and bebop, an
element that transformed jazz-rock, the offspring of
Adderley s creation-soul jazz. He was one of the most
impassioned and influential alto saxophonists in jazz
history whose influence can still be heard today.