Happy Birthday, Cannonball Adderley

Alto saxophonist Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley was born on September 15, 1928, in Tampa, Florida. Adderley is best known for his 1966 single "Mercy Mercy Mercy," which was a crossover hit on the pop charts, and for his work with trumpeter Miles Davis, including the iconic 1959 album, Kind of Blue.

Critic Scott Yanow says that Adderley "had an exuberant and happy sound that communicated immediately to listeners" and that his "intelligent presentation of his music (often explaining what he and his musicians were going to play) helped make him one of the most popular of all jazzmen."

In his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Len Lyons recommends Cannonball Adderley's album Coast to Coast. Unfortunately, the album is only available in vinyl. Jim Determan, who has updated Lyons's list of albums for CD, recommends instead the following titles:

• Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco (Purchase at Amazon.com.)
• Cannonball Adderley Sextet in New York (Purchase at Amazon.com.)

A good example of Adderley's hard bop style is "Autumn Leaves," from his 1958 album, Somethin' Else, which included Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Sam Jones, and Hank Jones:

Robert
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