Two Miles High Music

When alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley culled together this quartet, he grabbed three champions from seemingly disparate schools to complement his flinty solos: Miles Davis, the king of cool; Art Blakey, the thundering force of hard bop; Hank Jones, a veteran of swing; and Sam Jones, a versatile bassist adaptable to nearly any setting. The results are one of Blue Note's most beloved albums. The open-ended beauty of "Autumn Leaves," which features Davis beautifully stating the melody on muted trumpet, sounds like it could easily be an outtake from Kind of Blue (which it isn't). The midtempo title track provides the centerpiece of this classic as Adderley echoes Miles's swaggering melody before both unravel wonderful solos. A must-have Blue Note album. --John Murph

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Alto saxist Cannonball Adderly and pianist Bill Evans, bandmates on Miles Davis's epochal Kind of Blue, were band leaders by the time they teamed up in 1961 for this moody, yet lyrical, date. Though remastered with state-of-the-art digital technology, Riverside has kept the original artwork and liner notes, maintaining the flavor of this classic jazz LP. Adderly's robust, bluesy tone and buoyant phrasing make for an interesting contrast to Evans's rainy-day introspection. Coupled with the light touch of drummer Connie Kay and the gentle probing of bassist Percy Heath, the music projects a sophisticated and relaxed mood. On the sensitive ballads, such as "Goodbye" and "Elsa," Adderly reveals his after-hours side, reveling in the fullness of his rich sound. --Wally Shoup

Cannonball Adderley Quintet: Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone), Nat Adderley (cornet), Joe Zawinul (piano), Victor Gaskin (bass), Roy McCurdy (drums).

"Live at 'The Club'" boasts the cover of this 1966 album. Of course, this turned out to be a lie, as did the entirety of the original liner notes. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy was not recorded at that Chicago venue, but instead at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. (The ruse was a favor to the club owner.) The hollering audience was comprised of invited guests and stimulated by free booze. Still, their enthusiasm is definitely well warranted, as alto man Cannonball Adderley and his band offer a riveting blend of postbop calisthenics and soul-jazz grooves. Joe Zawinul's famous title track, with its hypnotic, gospel-drenched funkiness, was a crossover top 10 pop hit, as well as an astonishing exercise in restraint for Zawinul, who somehow resists the urge to dig in on his electric piano, instead opting for a deep, mellow mood. The rest of the album cooks, with Cannonball, brother Nat on cornet, and Zawinul supplying the heat. --Marc Greilsamer

It goes without saying that Julian "Cannonball" Adderley was one of the best blues players in jazz. Just ask his ex-boss Miles Davis. This 1960 date features the musician with his brother, cornetist Nat, bassist Sam Jones, drummer Louis Hayes, and either Bobby Timmons or Barry Harris on piano. Simply put, this is a textbook on how to swing the blues, whether on ballads such as "Easy Living" and George Gershwin's "Soon," or on the dancing hard bop number, "Work Song," Timmons's gospel-tinged "Dat Dere" and Duke Pearson's melodic classic, "Jeannine." Cannonball's sax lines combine the best of Benny Carter and Charlie Parker, contrasted by his brother's in-the-pocket cornet solos. The title track reveals the down-home roots of this Florida-born musician, who always carried the South in him. --Eugene Holley Jr.