Customer Reviews

Takes Charge 6

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

 

 

I first heard the song "SERENATA" from this album about 16 years ago in the U.K. I had to find a quiet spot and lie down afterwards since it left me completely breathless!
I endeavored to search for the recording but it had been deleted..it was originally part of a 6 (or maybe 7) album series from LANDMARK. i did, happily, manage to track down a copy on CD.
Most albums have at least one or two dud tracks but in all honesty there truly isn't a bad track on this CD as is the case with most of Adderleys recordings from the 50s/60s. (Watch out for his early 1970s sessions though).
Whether he's playing a ballad like "Guess I'll Hang My Tears out to Dry" beautifully on par with Dexter Gordons inimitable version, or uptempo standards like "I Remember You" his tone never fails to please.
Oh but if you want a real treat just listen to the soulful, swinging, "BAREFOOT SUNDAY BLUES" done in a gospel sort of groove his solo will have you snapping your fingers!!
If you like lyrical alto sax with a strong blues/gospel feel then let Cannonball preach to you from this CD!

Unquestionably, the best album under Cannonball's name. The quintet/sextet albums are mostly geared to a more pop market and contain much "packaged" soul and funk, while the dates Cannonball shared with Miles, Bags, Bill Evans, Coltrane, and Gil Evans often find him deferring to or competing against musical temperaments not wholly sympathetic with his own. But with no other horn to share the solo space and a grooving accompanist like Wynton Kelley, Cannonball indeed "takes charge," having his ebullient, inventive way with a varied program of show tunes ("If This Isn't Love)," soul tunes ("Barefoot Sunday Blues"), jazz standards ("I Remember You") and sentimental old favorites ("Poor Butterfly"). And the photo of Cannonball on the front cover of this Riverside classic is as good as any I've seen of this masterful musician. For the sake of jazz fans, saxophonists, and collectors everywhere, let's hope this one soon returns to circulation, digitally remastered or not (Cannonball's musical mastery is sufficient in itself).

This album is among Cannonball's best, right up there with the "Somethin' Else" Blue Note classic. Everything on the album clicks. Best are the two takes of "I Remember You" where Adderley really cooks. But every track is worth repeated listening. A must-have CD.

This is an outstanding record. Adderley takes particularly inspired solos with a killer rhythm section (Wynton Kelly with Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb and with Percy Heath and Albert Heath). It's unbelievable to me that this recording is out of print. If you like Cannonball, make every effort to find this one.

Cannonball distinguishes himself as one of the foremann in the saxophone dynasty with this album. It's unfortunate that this album is no longer in pulbication. If anyone has it and would like to sell it, please contact me asap.