For all that his sound reflected church music, black soul and blues roots in almost every turn of phrase, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, the short-lived Florida-born alto saxophonist, was an inspiring and skilfully accessible bebopper too. This was a combination of virtues that made the contrast between his song-like sound and Coltrane’s darkly sermonising one such a telling mix on Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue.
This set brings together two Adderley early 60s ventures, showcasing the intelligent and tonally subtle singer Nancy Wilson (Adderley is delectable alongside her on Save Your Love for Me and A Sleepin’ Bee, even if the pop-jazz song choices show their age), and a compatible alto saxist and formidable blues vocalist in Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson. Vinson’s raw, defiant singing and brief forays into some scalding alto blowing over the 50s-Miles group feel of Adderley’s quintet - with brother Nat on cornet and a young Joe Zawinul on piano - furnish some of the best tracks. There’s some rare Adderley material from critic Ralph J Gleason’s TV show of the period, too.
