Autumn Leaves
Here is a piece by Julian “Cannonball” Adderley from his 1959 album “Somethin’ Else”.
We are back to the quintet scene this week. And it’s quite obvious from the first few minutes of the 10-minute piece that this is certainly Somethin’ Else. The defining characteristic of the piece is its simplicity: the leading men Miles Davis (trumpet) and Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone) play clear and independent lines to create an atmosphere of orthodox and tradition, one through which their pure and unhindered improvisational talent can thrive.
The famous G Minor piano vamp (a repeated musical figure or line) sets a laid back and minimalistic foundation for the entire song. Art Blakey plays the drums with a heavy swing but also a skilful restraint with the brushes. He himself released a Blue Note album in the same year called “Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers” which was a hit and influenced the hard-bop sound for many years to come, his playing in it was diverse, controlling, and fierce; very different to textbook swing he plays in this piece.
The melody line (played by Davis) and the solo structure are both pretty traditional, Adderley and Miles having two choruses each to solo over, and Hank Jones (piano) taking a single one after. The chords are not too crazy either, so the question arises, what’s different here?
What’s new is that this piece highlights the individuality of the players rather than that of the song. The solos might as well be the fingerprints of the soloists, they are so free and personal, the epitome of their individual style. The stripped back rhythm section lets the unmastered sound of Miles’ trumpet and Adderley’s saxophone be captured in their totality: every nuance, accent and waver. The colours in their mind become the colours in ours, we are hearing so perfectly the unleashing of their creativity — none of this except the first thirty seconds is prepared, remember? The rest is pure invention.
Miles Davis is jazz. There’s nothing more to be said because words couldn’t encompass his brilliance. He is minimal but effective: if his contemporaries are prose — as it is said: “words in the best order”, he is poetry: “the best words in the best order”. Being poetic like this is rather melodramatic and tiresome to read but if you have an obsession with him like myself, you cannot help but see the trumpet as an extension of himself, his mastery over it unparalleled and universally revered.
If you have listened to the piece and read this at the same time, you should be in the last bit of Miles’ melody. Wait for a bit for the sound to change as that is where is Adderley comes in, then read the next paragraph…
Cannonball Adderley, according to Leonard Feather, is a player “cast in the bop moud of Charlie Parker”, who was crazy man but also a legend. Maybe another week I’ll write about a heroin-fuelled Parker invention, but what’s important to know is that he invented bebop — the word used to describe the aggressive, enflamed and hyperactive child of jazz and blues. Adderley has a much rounder and calmer tone compared to Parker, and, in my opinion, was a player who was much easier to listen to. His style is fast and rapid, but also phrasal and thoughtful, lilting and curious. His solo drives the piano and drums to get a little more invasive and for the energy of the piece to drive upward, a true master of the craft.
Hank Jones’ solo on the piano comes in after Miles’ 2 minutes and 10 seconds of pure genius. It is a soft and enchanting sound, the muffled piano being beautiful rather than dull, encompassing his skilled improvisational skill within a humble and quiet medium. When his rubato interlude comes in at the end, the form is broken and the listener is lifted from the depths again to a thoughtful and soft outro, leaving them thoroughly relaxed and inspired.
This song is jazz, and if the era is to be summarised to a cool-headed alien, this piece would suffice (with, perhaps, So What and Take Five, it is arguable). The beauty of improvisation within pieces like this is what makes Jazz different to other genres, but I don’t want to ramble on about that now, you’ve read enough! There’s much more to be said about what jazz is though! I’ll save it for next week.
