Cannonball Adderley Sextet - In New York

Riverside

The coastal jazz skirmishes real and imagined were still popular copy in the jazz press at the time of this live date by the Cannonball Adderley Sextet. Adderley revealed himself an unlikely ally to the West in his opening comments, dressing down Eastern audiences in comparison to their California counterparts before slyly paying the Village Vanguard patrons a venue-specific compliment. All in good fun, but counterintuitive just the same and Cannonball’s droll explication on the vagaries of “hip” give his words even greater sting. The set list shows the band sharply cognizant of the changes then circulating through the genre. “Dizzy’s Business” and the set closing “Cannon’s Theme” by bassist Sam Jones are nods back to their earlier hardbop repertoire. Both serve as decent blowing vehicles but sound dated next to the complex arrangements of Yusef Lateef’s “Planet Earth “ and the delicate modal ballad “Syn-anthesia”. Jimmy Heath’s aptly-chosen “Gemini” opens the set and delineates these two sides of the band’s personality. Lateef encircles cool-toned flute statements around a blistering tenor solo, further describing the bridged divide. Even with Cannonball’s built-in first solo advantage, he repeatedly threatens to upstage the leader with the energy and incisiveness behind his statements. Pianist Joe Zawinul also personifies the piebald style, updating and personalizing Horace Silver’s funk vernacular and shifting easily between the earthy and cerebral exposition. His “Scotch and Water”, wryly introduced by Cannonball, expresses that first state in eminently listenable fashion. Though assigned to support duties much of the time, Jones and drummer Louis Hayes benefit from the new Keepnews Collection remastering with the bassist receiving an especially welcome boost. Adderley’s Riverside tenure yielded a stellar run of albums, but this belated New York live date stands out as the recording debut of arguably his finest band.

~ Derek Taylor