Cannonball Adderley(1928 — 1975)
Julian Cannonball Adderley
États-Unis
6 min read
American jazz alto saxophonist, a major figure of hard bop and soul jazz. A member of the Miles Davis sextet on the album *Kind of Blue* (1959), he went on to lead his own quintet with his brother, cornetist Nat Adderley.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born on **September 15, 1928** in **Tampa, Florida**, nicknamed “Cannonball” (a corruption of “cannibal,” a nod to his appetite) as a teenager
- Took part in 1959 in the recording of Miles Davis's *Kind of Blue*, one of the best-selling jazz albums in history
- Formed a hit quintet with his brother **Nat Adderley** at the turn of the 1960s
- Enjoyed major commercial success in 1966 with *Mercy, Mercy, Mercy*, composed by **Joe Zawinul**
- Died on **August 8, 1975** in **Gary, Indiana**, at the age of 46
Works & Achievements
Album released under his own name on Blue Note with, unusually, Miles Davis as a sideman; it features an unforgettable version of “Autumn Leaves.”
Adderley plays alto saxophone alongside John Coltrane on this Miles Davis masterpiece, the best-selling jazz album in history.
Recorded live, this album launched his quintet with the hit “This Here” (Dis Heah), by Bobby Timmons, and established the sound of soul jazz.
Quintet album containing “Work Song,” composed by his brother Nat Adderley and now a jazz standard.
Live album whose title track, written by Joe Zawinul, became a surprise popular hit and brought Adderley fame well beyond the jazz audience.
Recorded at a concert for a civil rights organization; it features “Walk Tall” and embodies the gospel spirit of soul jazz.
Anecdotes
At his high school in Tampa, Florida, young Julian devoured everything he could get his hands on. His classmates nicknamed him “Cannibal” because of his gargantuan appetite. Over time, that nickname morphed into “Cannonball,” which stuck with him for the rest of his life.
In June 1955, Adderley arrived in New York almost unknown, his saxophone under his arm. One evening, at the Café Bohemia club, he was invited on stage with bassist Oscar Pettiford's band: his solo stunned the room. Since the genius Charlie Parker had died just a few months earlier, the press immediately hailed him as “the new Bird.”
Before becoming a star, Adderley was a music teacher: he directed the band at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale. Throughout his life he kept this teacher's soul, taking the time to explain to audiences, microphone in hand, the meaning and history of the pieces he played.
In 1959, Adderley took part in the recording of Miles Davis's “Kind of Blue,” alongside saxophonist John Coltrane. The musicians received barely a few cues before playing and improvised almost everything. The record would become the best-selling jazz album in history.
In 1966, his pianist Joe Zawinul composed “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” on a Wurlitzer electric piano. Recorded in front of an audience clapping and singing along, this gospel-flavored tune became a genuine hit: it climbed the pop charts, an extremely rare feat for a jazz instrumental.
Primary Sources
You know, sometimes we're not prepared for adversity. When it happens, sometimes we're caught short. We don't know exactly how to handle it when it comes up. Sometimes we don't know just what to do when adversity takes over.
Now we're gonna do a new composition by our pianist Bobby Timmons. This one is a jazz waltz; however, it has all sorts of properties — it's simultaneously a shout and a good time. We just call it 'Dis Heah.'
Hipness is not a state of mind; it's a fact of life. And you don't decide you're hip. It just happens that way.
Key Places
City in the southern United States where Julian Adderley was born on September 15, 1928, and where he grew up in a family of musicians.
City where Adderley directed the Dillard High School band in the early 1950s, before trying his luck in New York.
Jazz capital where Adderley was discovered in 1955 at the Café Bohemia, joined Miles Davis, and then built his entire career.
Club where his quintet recorded the live album “In San Francisco” (1959) and his first major hit, “This Here.”
Industrial city where Cannonball Adderley died of a stroke on August 8, 1975.
