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Since Dec,01,1998
©1998 By barybary
"QUINTET PLUS" |
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JULIAN "CANNONBALL"ADDERLEY, alto sax; NAT ADDERLEY, cornet; VICTOR FELDMAN, vibes (on side 1, #2 and 3; Side 2, #1 and 2) and piano; WYNTON KELLY, piano (except on Side 1, #1; Side 2, #3); SAM JONES, bass; LOUIS HAYES, drums.
SIDE 1 1. Arriving Soon (8:11) (Eddie
Vinson) SIDE 2 1.Winetone (7:00) (Wynton
Kelly) additional tracks not on original LP release, on Remastering riveside 99919 (1987) Lisa (6:59) (Feldman-Zito)
About one year, six months and twenty-three days before the date of this particular recording, the CANNONBALL ADDERLEY Quintet produced twelve minutes and twenty-six seconds of musical explosiveness entitled This Here. As we all know, the stir that followed was considerable. A hit record, a great swing over to "soul" music (a type of music that Ben Webster's been playing for thirty years without knowing it!), and a great new wave of popularity for Julian Adderley and his group. Actually, though, we bystanders shouldn't have been too surprised by all this. The large gentleman from Florida has been roaring through the music business saying "You know what I mean ?" and showing us what he meant ever since that notable mid-1950s evening in New York when, as an unknown, he strode upon the bandstand at the Cafe Bohemia and proceeded to blow the walls down. Cannon had brought real freshness to the scene then, brought it again with his recording of This Here, did it once again with his subsequent efforts in the area of big-band music (African Waltz, etc.) and, I am convinced, has done so yet another time with the recording contained in this jacket. Ever since the recording of Bobby Timmons' This Here, Cannonball has been deeply associated with the "soul" aspect of jazz : music that is rustic in design, semi-religious in flavor, heavily rooted in the blues. With this album, I feel, Cannon shows us yet another aspect of the Adderley emotional tract. The "soul" is still decidedly there, but these tracks seem to indicate that some attractive new seasonings have been added to the boiling pot, the end result being Adderley music that's just a little happier, a little lighter, a little more humorous than before. If this is possible! I think that after hearing the group on old standbys like Well You Needn't and Star Eyes, and on Victor Feldman and Torrie Zito's intriguing Lisa, you'll understand exactly what I mean, and that you'll agree with me. This, to me, is certainly one excellent reason for the " Plus" in the album title. But since, of course, I hadn't yet heard the music when I was first asked to write these notes, I found that word fairly mysterious. When I asked Orrin Keepnews of Riverside, he allowed as how there were several reasons for it. Aside from the obvious fact that, on the album, Wynton Kelly was added to the group (and in addition to the just-noted musical reason I found on listening to the record), he brought up another interesting point. This album was recorded just after the group returned from a lengthy and highly-successful European tour. Thus you are hearing musicians fresh from a steady stint of playing together night after night, playing these tunes, molded and jelled into a tightly-knit creative organization. Lines fresh in their minds, a strong feeling for the tunes and for each other-this is definitely a plus factor for any musical organization. With regard to the aforementioned Wynton Kelly "plus"-the addition of Kelly (who happens to be a close musical and personal friend of virtually all involved here) allows us to hear, in addition to the remarkable Mr. Kelly himself, the full instrumentation of the Adderley Quintet plus Victor Feldman's tasty vibes. When the horns drop out on portions of tunes, the remaining rhythm quartet is delightfully-forceful. (One friend of mine described it as "sort a like a hairy Modern Jazz Quartet"- with no offense intended, I'm sure.) As for the full group: Cannon excites you with every key on his axe; Nat plays better than ever before (as he seems to have been doing each time out for quite a while now) ; Wynton is zestfully melodic, as ever; Vic makes the transition from instrument to instrument beautifully; Louis Hayes' fine taste shines through like the guiding light that it is; and Sam Jones walks on, twelve feet tall. Arriving Soon, the album-opener, is a new Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson original. The blues-singer and altoist had been off the scene for a few years, but Cannon ran across him in Kansas City and extracted a few choice numbers from him, including this haunting theme. (I don't know about the state of Your pictorial imagination, but during Cannon's dramatic opening statement I can see John Cassavetes staring from a West 67th Street rooftop.) New Delhi is a Vic Feldman tune with a beautiful melody line, excellent vibes, and prettily-muted work by Nat. Lisa, recorded before by Feldman on his own Riverside album, "Merry Olde Soul" (RLP 866; Sterec 9866), is given slightly faster treatment this time, which seems to make Lisa a more exciting and sinister chick ; and Cannon tells the tale beautifully. Thelonious Monk' Well You Needn't is taken at a brisk clip, lends itself to this rather rollicking treatment, and displays an impressive feeling of band unity. The Brothers Adderley are exceptionally moving on Star Eyes where, after an opening Latin vamp, Cannonball almost explodes into the melody, leading Nat into the soaring release. Winetone, a blues line by Kelly, draws its title from Chicago disc jockey Daddy-o Daylie's special pronunciation of the composer's name. The date's only unfamiliar tune for the group - actually, Wynton worked it up in the studio - it comes off in a way that suggests that, when things are feeling right and going right, both total spontaneity and pre-set organization are likely to be equally effective. There is little more to say. Whether you be a deep dyed fan or not ,I think you'll really like this album. The Adderley excitement is there , the Adderley "soul" is there , and then there's that new something-else -that Cannonball Adderley Quintet PLUS factor. You know what I mean ? ED SHERMAN Produced by Orrin Keepnews |