Depending on the nature of the person involved, success either dictates more and more compulsive activity, or else it permits relaxation. With Cannonball Adderley, the latter certainly appears to be the case; and this album can, among other things, serve as a testimonial to the truth of this impression. Adderley is undeniably a successful, widely-acclaimed artist, and it may seem to some that his success came quickly. But it is more in the nature of what one night-club comic once referred to bitterly as "my overnight success after fifteen years."

Cannonball Adderley gave up his own band in 1957 when he had the opportunity to become a sideman in Miles Davis' epic ensemble with John Coltrane, eventually resulting in some of the greatest jazz recordings of all time (including Milestones and Kind of Blue). Davis returned the favor in March of 1958, appearing as a sideman on Adderley's all-star quintet date for Blue Note, and the resulting session is indeed Somethin' Else. Both horn players are at their peak of lyrical invention, crafting gorgeous, flowing blues lines on the title tune and "One for Daddy-O," as the rhythm team (Hank Jones, Sam Jones, Art Blakey) creates a taut, focused groove (pianist Hank Jones' sly, intuitive orchestrations are studies of harmonic understatement).

Recording three studio albums for the EmArcy label, Cannonball Adderley's Sharpshooters were a very potent jazz band in the late 1950s, one that could literally swing the daylight outs of any situation and stand tall with their peer group. With pianist Junior Mance, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Jimmy Cobb, Cannonball and brother Nat Adderley were young and well-respected enough to lay claim to this quintet as a top five band along with any mainstream jazz groupings of the day. With quintessential small group players in the rhythm section, the Adderleys really have the best band anyone could hope for in a soul-jazz context, but also for hard bop. Tracks like Tadd Dameron's "Our Delight," the fast "Stay on It," and the standard "If I Love Again" are all superlative examples of rough-and-ready post-Charlie Parker music, especially the latter song where the horns delve into some fascinating interplay.

Digitally remastered edition of this 1975 album by the Jazz great. In what would turn out to be the final years of his short life, jazz great Julian "Cannonball" Adderley embarked on a number of ambitious, genre-stretching projects. The last of these was 1975's Big Man, the score for a musical play based on the John Henry ("the steel driving man") American folk legend. The album was released as a two-LP set with libretto, and featured music from Adderley and his then-current musical associates including brother Nat Adderley, George Duke (using the alias "Dawilli Gonga"), Roy McCurdy, Airto Moreira, Carol Kaye and others. The sessions also made full use of a large string section and chorus, while the primary vocalists in Big Man sang and read their lines in character; the vocal cast included lead vocalist Joe Williams, Randy Crawford, and Robert Guillaume. Long out of print and never before issued on CD, Real Gone Music's reissue of Big Man boasts liner notes by Bill Kopp with quotes from Robert Guillaume, and the full libretto, with remastering by Joe Tarantino. The final artistic statement from a jazz giant!

The first three cuts of CD 1 are the first traces of Cannonball in France. Today, they seem especially short to us. But the Adderley brothers were not the only ones playing on this Jazz at the Philharmonic tour organized by Norman Granz. Also on the trip : Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Don Byas, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Lalo Shifrin, J.J. Johnson. Sorry there is so little. The other five titles are from the April 15, 1961 concert.
Two changes in the rhythm section of this second Julian and Nat Adderley Quintet : Bobby Timmons is replaced by the English pianist-vibraphonist Victor Feldman (1934-1987) and, on one piece, the addition of then-unknown Ron Carter, which allows bass player Sam Jones (1924-1981) to show off on cello…

First Complete, Authorized Release of alto sax giant’s 1972 Olympia performance transferred from the original tape reels recorded by the ORTF and housed in the INA (the Institut national de l'audiovisuel). Released by Elemental Music in cooperation with the Cannonball Adderley Estate and INA France. Includes an extensive booklet with rare photos; essays by acclaimed jazz author and historian BOB BLUMENTHAL and producer ZEV FELDMAN, plus testimonies by TIA FULLER, LOU DONALDSON & VINCENT HERRING, and a never before published 1983 NAT ADDERLEY interview.

Alto Giant is an exciting live album that captured the Cannonball Adderley Quintet in Milan in 1969, two years after the group recorded 74 Miles Away. Cannonball's music in this period is marked by his enthusiastic embrace of funk and jazz rock. In addition to his brother Nat Adderley on trumpet, the quintet included Joe Zawinul on piano, Victor Gaskin on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. In addition to the leader's hot and exciting alto playing, what stand out are Hayes's aggressive and effective drumming and Zawinul's contributions in terms of two original compositions (the odd-meter, free jazz-oriented "Scavenger" and the funky "Walk Tall") and his solo performance of "Ballads Medley." The generosity of the leader extended to Gaskin as well, who was prominently featured on "Manha De Carnaval"…

In the Land of Hi-Fi with Julian Cannonball Adderley is the fourth album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, and his third released on the EmArcy label, featuring a nonet (six horns, three rhythm) with Nat Adderley, Jerome Richardson, Ernie Royal, Bobby Byrne, Jimmy Cleveland, Danny Bank, Junior Mance, Keter Betts, and Charles "Specs" Wright.

One of the great alto saxophonists, Cannonball Adderley had an exuberant and happy sound that communicated immediately to listeners. His intelligent presentation of his music (often explaining what he and his musicians were going to play) helped make him one of the most popular of all jazzmen.

“Know What I Mean?” was originally released in 1960 as a collaboration between jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and legendary pianist Bill Evans, along with the rhythm section of the Modern Jazz Quartet, Percy Heath (bass) and Connie Kay (drums). This new edition is released as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series and features remastered audio from the original master tapes. Available on 192/24 hi res digital.