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Portrait Of Cannonball

by

Cannonball Adderley

 
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Portrait Of Cannonball

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Avg: 4.0 (26 ratings)

One of the all-time greats at his stellar peak.

  • We Say...

    This is one the finest recordings by one of the greatest alto saxophonists. Cut in 1958, when Adderley was in Miles Davis' sextet, Portrait also features pianist Bill Evans, drummer Philly Joe Jones (also with Miles then), rock-solid bassist Sam Jones and trumpeter Blue Mitchell. Although Adderley is known for his down-home albums, this isn't one of them — compositions include Davis' modal "Nardis" and Gigi Gryce's infectious "Minority," the standard "People Will Say We're in Love," and "Straight Life," a pretty Cannonball tune. Adderley was in tremendous form; his vocabulary had recently been enriched by John Coltrane's influence and, as usual, he was playing very winsomely. Mitchell stands out, too — very underrated, he independently created a Clifford Brown-like style at the same time Brown was creating his. Evans, who was starting to get very influential, plays with a bit more post-bop influence than usual, with lovely solos on both takes of "Nardis."

  • They Say...

    This fine Riverside debut by Adderley was cut just a few months after the alto saxophonist had contributed to Miles Davis' stellar Milestones release. Joining Adderley for the six tracks here are fellow Davis alumni Philly Joe Jones on drums and Bill Evans on piano. These three are augmented by the wonderful and often-underrated Blue Mitchell on trumpet and the equally illustrious Sam Jones on bass. Everyone is in top form on a varied set that takes in two Adderley originals (the fine ballad "Straight Life" and "A Little Taste"), a classic Gigi Gryce number ("Minority"), and Miles' oft-covered "Nardis." Filling out the program, we have a rare Sam Jones-penned cut, "Blue Funk," and a lone standard in the Rogers & Hammerstein chestnut from Oklahoma, "People Will Say We're in Love." One of the highlights from Adderley's hard bop prime.

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