Customer Reviews

In San Francisco

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In the late '50s and early '60s, Cannonball Adderley enjoyed his greatest popularity as measured by the commercial success of Riverside releases featuring his own group with his brother Nat on cornet. The sessions were frequently recorded live, included spoken introductions by the ebullient leader, presented some "accessible" tunes, and spotlighted at least one real crowd-pleaser ("This Here," "Sack O' Woe," "Jive Samba," "Mercy Mercy, Mercy"), each later appearing as a hit single.

These sessions are memorable less for the individual solos than the fire of the ensemble, anchored and propelled by one of the best walking bass players in the business, Sam Jones. Returning to these once-popular Adderley brothers releases is to lament the absence of such ensembles on today's scene as well as to be reminded of the relatively hard times the alto giant (and many great players) would encounter in the late '60s/early '70s, when he had trouble booking the group (I recall Cannonball auditioning for clueless Student Activities Directors shopping for next year's campus entertainment). Regardless, any of these Adderley brothers' Riversides represents the so-called "hard bop-soul jazz" idiom at its best and, like the groups of Art Blakey and Horace Silver, should be required listening for the ensemble sound alone.

"In San Francisco" from 1959 not only established the "live action/hit single" formula but is, in its own right, an exemplary session, perhaps superior to the later Adderley brothers' recordings with pianist Victor Feldman or Joe Zawinul and tenorist/flutist Yusef Lateef. The presence of the hard-swinging Bobby Timmons certainly increased the funk and soul appeal of this Adderley edition (though some of the earlier editions of Adderley brothers' groups on Mercury and EmArcy are also worth checking out).

The leader is in especially high spirits, confiding to the crowd that Timmons' "This Here" is known in the community as "Dish heah," and putting it in the context of church music before unleashing the composer on the infectious down-home introduction of the blues/gospel/jazz waltz. The remainder of the program consists of two bristling Adderley originals and three jazz standards that, while still in the repertoires of countless musicians, are played to perfection: Randy Weston's "Hi Fly," Oscar Pettiford's "Bohemia After Dark," and Monk's "Straight, No Chaser."

If hearing the leader's typically exuberant, lusty playing on this night isn't enough to convince you that 1959 was arguably Adderley's best year (if not for jazz itself), then add to this recording three more from the same year, all featuring the indomitable altoist's juicy tone and joyous preaching: first, a brilliant, albeit neglected or underrated, Riverside quartet date entitled "Cannonball Takes Charge"; 2nd, a Mercury quintet date with Coltrane, "Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Chicago"; finally, a certain sextet date on Columbia (and perennial Amazon best-seller) on which Adderley, along with Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Bill Evans formed the "response" team to bassist Paul Chambers' introductory musical question, "So What?"--a call still sending out shock waves of seismic proportions almost half a century later. (If you don't have Miles' "Kind of Blue," pick it up before "In San Francisco.")

This CD is further evidence that Cannonball and company were one of the hardest swinging bands in the history of jazz. Over the course of his career Cannonball released several live recordings and this is certainly one of the best.

The band starts the party with pianist BobbyTimmons' classic, funky jazz waltz "This Here". The listener is instantly aware of the electrical current flowing through the room at the Jazz Workshop as each soloist carries the audience through the peaks of their solos. The audience responds at times with clapping and vocalizations clearly indicating that everyone is caught up in the moment and having a great time. The band pours fuel on the fire when they launch into Cannonball's blues number "Spontaneous Combustion". "Hi-Fly" is a medium cooker that provides a forum for inspired solos by all. The band kicks things up a few more notches with the up-tempo "You Got It!" and "Bohemia After Dark". This CD also includes three additional tunes not released on the original album. A wonderful version of a Thelonius Monk's blues "Straight, No Chaser" along with alternate takes of "This Here" and "You Got It!".

This rhythm section provides killer grooves and each soloist responds accordingly. Cannonball's sound on alto saxophone is one of soulful exuberance. While he was probably influenced by Charlie Parker, like everyone else who came after Parker, his sound, phrasing, melodies and rhythmic choices are pure Cannonball. The music that he and his band create on this recording is about feeling good. The band is feeling good, the audience is feeling good and you'll be feeling good when you start listening.

If you are all ready a Cannonball Adderley fan then you need to own this recording. If you are a jazz fan and don't have any Cannon then this is a great place to start. Soulful, Swinging, Funky, Smokin', Gritty, Loose, Fun, Magical and a whole lot more.

The more you get into jazz, the more you learn to appreciate the contributions Cannonball made. All his work is great, as are the several tribute albums(Louis Hayes' for example)dedicated to his work. He was simply a great player, arranger, and performer...This is an excellent live cd, highly recommended.....Enjoy!

When I was crafting my skills as a saxophonist in the 1970s, Cannonball's early recordings were already hard to get, at least where I was living. Fans of jazz saxophone - who should have at least a couple of Cannonball's albums in their collection - can rejoice that several great Adderley brothers releases from the late 50s and early 60s have been reissued on CD.
This live performance from 1959 places the quintet in the kind of situation that jazz performers wish for: hot players who display an almost telepathic link to each other, playing solid material for an enthusiastic audience. There's plenty of energy, and plenty of opportunity for everyone in the group to show their stuff. Those who were in the audience for this session undoubtedly went away thinking that this musical experience was something special.
The CD's eight tracks include three bonuses: "Straight, No Chaser" (a great addition, with an outstanding solo from Cannonball) and two alternate takes on "This Here" and "You Got It!" Alternate takes seldom make it onto my iPod, but since the primary track of "This Here" starts with a couple minutes of Cannonball talking, I chose the alternate, which gets right to the music. Even without the two alternate takes, this CD offers an hour of great music.

This is the first in a line of many recordings by the Cannonball Adderley quintet and pretty much sets the pace for the rest of them -- populist jazz, intelligent and modern but also accessible to a broad audience. It's not necessarily the best one, but it's not a bad place to start and few fans of hard bop will be disappointed.

The big hit -- which set the tone for later tunes like "Sack'o'Woe" and "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" -- is Bobby Timmons's gospel-infused "This Here". Again, it's not necessarily the group's best performance in this style, but it is very good. (It's also an interesting contrast to Mingus's "Better Git It in Your Soul" and "Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting".)

The rest of the tunes are not as overtly funky. "Hi Fly" is probably the most famous version of the tune, and it's amusing to hear composer Randy Weston described as a waltz specialist. "Bohemia After Dark" and "Straight No Chaser" show the quintet could bebop with the best of 'em.

If you like this one, jump ahead to 1960's recording at the Lighthouse and 1962's Live in Europe. Both will showcase how the band evolved (and improved) over the next few years.

Both Cannonball and Nat Adderley (one of the most underrated jazz players) are on fire! You have to get this!