Customer Reviews

Mercy Mercy Mercy

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is the person that inspired me to play better and practice harder. Not only that, but it made me want to get every other CD he has, and I'm still trying to find as many CDs of his I can get. Let me tell you, this is by FAR the best Cannonball CD there is! There's no way any other alto saxophone in history beats Cannonball's liveliness and technique. Not only that, but he has the biggest variation on tone you could find. If you listen to the most beautiful "Nearness of You" with Cannonball, then go straight to the funky "Fun", you will be amazed by his amazing technique. GET THIS NOW! And while you're at it, go for "In San Fransisco Live." And if you're into jazz funk and hard bop, go check out "Roots of Jazz Funk". It includes the following artists in one of the best compilations of jazz funk I've ever heard: Cannonball Adderley, Art Blakely and the Jazz Messengers, Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery, Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, John Coltrane,

Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Smith, and Charles Mingus.

Don't miss the best oppurtunity of a lifetime!

Let me just tell you, this is about as exciting as it gets! The recording actually feels like it took place at a famous jazz club on a summer night, but as everyone knows by now, this wasn't so, and it was recorded in Capitol studios. This album finds the quintet at the top of its game, this time featuring Cannonball, his brother Nat on cornet, the spectacular Joe Zawinul on piano, Victor Gaskin on bass, and Roy McCurdy on drums. Of the six exciting numbers, I'd have to say that "Games" is my favorite, another great example of how amazingly underrated Nat was as a composer. The title track has this after-hours mood that you won't be able to find anywhere else. Whenever you're down about something, just put on that track, and I guarantee it will help you deal with whatever your problem is. You can't possibly call yourself a jazz or Cannonball fan and not own this magnificent album, so order it now!

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy is one of my favorite jazz tunes--with Zawinul's soulful electric piano and Cannonball's unmistakeable intro to the piece. Sticks and Sack O Woe are the other gems on this album. The entire album deserves 5 stars, and should be part of every jazz collection.

Discussion of this album tends to be dominated by the title track, which was a hit single. It's a nice, catchy tune (probably closer to instrumental R&B than jazz for the genre-obsessed) but highly unrepresentative of the rest of the album, which is an excellent snapshot of mainstream mid-60s jazz.

Some critics accuse Cannonball of "selling out" and "commercializing" his music, and yeah, you can hear the influence of popular music here. But there's absolutely no compromise in the integrity of the music, and Cannonball's playing is actually more edgy and adventurous than on his earlier bebop recordings. Listen to "Games", a fairly innocuous soul jazz tune, where Cannonball plays some fairly avant-garde stuff.

The best material on here is on "Sticks" (one of Cannonball's best tunes) and "Sack'o'Woe". The latter is an interesting contrast to the classic 1960 version with Victor Feldman; this one has less of the driving swing rhythm but is much, much funkier. "Fun" is relatively adventurous post-bop and "Hippodelphia" is one of Zawinul's best straight-ahead tunes.

If you like this one, I would also check out "Money in the Pocket" and "Why Am I Treated So Bad".

Mercy, mercy mercy! This cd is a killer. All 6 songs are excellent, from the opening bops on "Fun" to the ending shuffle notes of "Woe." Though the setup is sort of a lie, its obvious the band, and especially Cannonball, are having a great time. Cannonball really demonstrates his mastery of his instrument, playing the whole range and a variety of different licks. Nat Adderly is excellent to. Zawinul puts heart into his piano and keyboard, and time is never lost with very solid playing from the Gaskin the bass player and the drummer. Get this cd, you won't be sorry. If you like Adderley, bebop or just any kind of jazz, its impossible for this cd NOT to get your feet tapping and your fingers snapping. Deffinitely Cannon at his best.

Tale of woe is dynamite and "mercy" still sounds great. Cannonball and Nat, the Adderly brothers, are in top form.

Good, but short CD containing "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", a rare big jazz hit (#11 on Billboard in 1967). Later, of course, lyrics were added and MMM became a top five hit for the Buckinghams.
This "live" recording comes not from a club, but a "club" set up at the Capitol studios by the recording's producer, David Axelrod. The fact that there was an open bar didn't hurt a bit!

This album is genius. Period. The reviewer who gave this one star is a fool pure and simple. If you gave it four stars what does it take to get five? I was surprised that the album was recorded at a studio but at the same time I wasn't. I always wondered how this album had such great sound and so much audience participation as well. This and BB King Live at the Regal are two of the best live recordings ever. If you are a fan of Cannonball it is a must. If you aren't yet, prepare to be. Required listening for any jazz enthusiast.

I love this CD, especially tracks 3 and 4 (which flow from one to another live). Track 4, "That's called The Sticks, ladies and gentlemen, The Sticks, thank you.", has the coolest solo hand-off ever. The trumpet wraps his solo up with some double-tonguing that is truly amazing... until the saxophone picks up right there with even faster. Wow.

I grew up listening to this album on vinyl.

IF YOU BUY THIS CD, ALONG WITH SOMETHIN' ELSE, YOU PROBALBY HAVE THE BEST RECORDED WORKS OF CANNONBALL ADDERLY, WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF "CLEANHEAD AND CANNONBALL", WITH EDDIE CLEANHEAD VINSON. THIS ALBUM COOKS WITH POST-BOP BLUES, AS WELL AS THE QUINTESSESNTIAL CANNONBALL ADDERLY RECORDING MERCY, MERCY, MERCY, WHICH WAS WRITTEN BY KEYBOARDIST JOE ZAWINUL (MAY HE REST IN PEACE). THIS IS A GREAT 1960'S JAZZ RECORDING (ONE OF THE FEW ACTUALLY NOT ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS). GREAT BAND, GREAT RECORDING, GREAT SOUNDS. BUT NOT A REAL "LIVE" ALBUM......