Jazz / Soul-Jazz, Hard Bop
Nat Adderley - Cornet, Producer
Walter Booker Bass
Jimmy Cobb Drums
Sonny Fortune Alto Saxophone
Nat Adderley Quintet Track Performer
Larry Willis Piano
Ron Davis Engineer
Phil DeLancie Engineer
Phil Edwards Engineer
Jerry Gordon Art Direction
Jim Hilson Engineer
Mark Needham Engineer, Mixing
Derek Richardson Liner Notes
Thomas Vilot Art Direction
Paul Arslanian Assistant Producer
John Golden Mastering
Allen Pittman Assistant Producer
Dave Shirk Pre-mastering Engineer
Jerry Stoll Photography
Recorded live at the Keystone Corner in San Francisco in 1983, this CD features Sonny Fortune on alto sax, Larry Willis on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Nat maintains the classic quintet format he shared with his brother, Cannonball, for 16 years, but he stamps it clearly with his own identity. Another classic jazz release from the Theresa catalog.
This '83 live set at the Keystone Korner was certainly an uneven, sometimes curious event. The opening number is a solo alto workout for Sonny Fortune, who seems to amble through midway before he becomes recharged by the end. The last track, "The Tallahassee Kid," fades out early and Adderley provides a run-down of band personnel until the disc ends. There are some fine cuts with punchy, snappy melodies, taut solos, and nice rhythm section interaction between pianist Larry Willis, drummer Jimmy Cobb and bassist Walter Booker. But overall, this proves a good but not essential Nat Adderley date. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
Nat Adderley
Active Decades: '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s
Born: Nov 25, 1931 in Tampa, FL
Died: Jan 02, 2000 in Lakeland, FL
Genre: Jazz
Nat Adderley's cornet (which in its early days was strongly influenced by Miles Davis) was always a complementary voice to his brother Cannonball in their popular quintet. His career ran parallel to his older brother for quite some time. Nat took up trumpet in 1946, switched to cornet in 1950, and spent time in the military, playing in an Army band during 1951-1953. After a period with Lionel Hampton (1954-1955), Nat made his recording debut in 1955, joined Cannonball's unsuccessful quintet of 1956-1957, and then spent periods with the groups of J.J. Johnson and Woody Herman before hooking up with Cannonball again in October 1959. This time the group became a major success and Nat remained in the quintet until Cannonball's death in 1975, contributing such originals as "Work Song," "Jive Samba," and "The Old Country" along with many exciting hard bop solos. Nat Adderley, who was at the peak of his powers in the early to mid-'60s and became adept at playing solos that dipped into the subtone register of his horn, led his own quintets after Cannonball's death; his most notable sidemen were altoists Sonny Fortune (in the early '80s) and Vincent Herring. Although his own playing declined somewhat -- Adderley's chops no longer had the endurance of his earlier days -- Nat continued recording worthwhile sessions in the years prior to his death on January 2, 2000. Many but not all of his recordings through the years are currently available (for such labels as Savoy, EmArcy, Riverside, Jazzland, Atlantic, Milestone, A&M, Capitol, Prestige, SteepleChase, Galaxy, Theresa, In & Out, Landmark, Evidence, Enja, Timeless, Jazz Challenge, and Chiaroscuro).
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
