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.