Julian Edwin ‘Cannonball’ Adderley, a Jazzman comes true on stage
“There is no future without a past, and anyone who doesn’t really understand where jazz came from has no right to try to direct where it’s going.” Cannonball Adderley
Born in Tampa, Florida on September 15, 1928, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley was one of the greatest soprano saxophonists of the second half of the 20th century. The son of a jazz cornetist, the power of his alto playing earned him the nickname “New Bird” after the death of Charlie Parker. And that’s just the beginning!
After studying flute, trumpet, clarinet and alto saxophone at Tallahassee High School from 1944 to 1948, he and his brother Nat Adderley were hired by Eddie Vinson to play in New York City, the nerve centre of jazz. One night, while scouring the jazz clubs, musician Oscar Petitford, a permanent fixture at the Café Bohemia jazz club, invited Julian Edwin Adderley to perform on stage after Jerome Richardson was unable to do so (reluctantly, as he was particularly unhappy with the idea of an amateur playing on stage). From the start, the double bassist tests the saxophonist, subjecting him to crazy rhythms and forcing him to follow him in tortuous improvisations. This test pushes the saxophonist to his limits, but Julian Edwin Adderley has composure. That night he excelled and made a name for himself.
At the end of the concert, in front of the audience’s astonished eyes, he introduced himself as “Cannonball”. * The deformation of ‘cannibal’, a nickname he had inherited as a child for his insatiable appetite.
His seductive performance also attracted the Savoy label, which signed him to a contract to record his first albums. He then moved to New York and formed a quintet with his brother Nat Adderley, a cornet player. However, the quintet did not meet with the expected success despite the clarity and energy of his playing. Cannonball Adderley left the quintet, then in 1957, he replaced Sonny Rollins in Miles Davis’ sextet, where he met the legendary John Coltrane. An exceptional improviser, the success of the sextet and of the man nicknamed “The New Bird” in homage to Charlie Parker grew.
With success, Cannonball Adderley decided to form a second quintet, again with his brother Nat, and this time it was a success! Entertainer and educator, no other jazz musician communicated with his audience as Cannonball Adderley did. With his hilarious and cool introductions, he managed to share his jazz with the audience in a unique and popular way. His music, joy and exuberance were highly infectious.
Miles Davis called him “a big, cheerful guy. A man with many facets, which were constantly visible, making him genuine, sincere and very charming. Cannonball had a vital appetite for all aspects of life. And finally, he was one of the few men who was as talkative as I was…”
Cannonball was also a pioneer, one of the very first to fuse hard bop with gospel and rhythm and blues elements. His huge, rich and warm sound, and his desire to preserve the popular roots of jazz, made him one of the leaders of soul jazz in the 1960s.
From 1968 onwards, he turned to bluesy music infused with funk and/or soul, considerably influencing his era until his death in 1975 from a stroke at the age of 46.
Discover Julian Edwin “Cannonball” Adderley:
Live 1963 Jazz Icons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OtjOvLELT4
