TOM SCOTT
Cannon Re-Loaded: An All-Star Celebration of Cannonball Adderley

Concord

 

Julian “Cannonball” Adderley burst onto the jazz scene like a ball of fire, brandishing Charlie Parker’s ability to effortlessly improvise over breakneck bop chord changes along incredible amounts of soul and an uncanny ability to communicate with audiences who might otherwise have felt intimidated by modern jazz. He was a profound influence on subsequent generations of saxophonists, including Pete Christlieb, Vincent Herring, and Tom Scott. Here Scott and drummer Gregg Field pay tribute to Adderley with an all-star cast that includes trumpeter Terence Blanchard, pianist George Duke (an Adderley group alumni), organist Larry Goldings, bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Steve Gadd, and vocalist Nancy Wilson.

Cannonball Re-loaded is a solid performance of many of Adderley’s best-known and loved tunes, providing both a good tribute as well as excellent performances that don’t just retread the Adderley recordings of the tunes. For example, Adderley’s performance of “Mercy Mercy Mercy” lacked any real solo space for the horns, relying on the funky delivery of composer Joe Zawinul’s Fender Rhodes electric piano playing. Here, both Scott and Blanchard take solos while Duke, Goldings on Hammond B-3, and Miller all amp up the funky underpinnings of the tune behind the soloists. “Jive Samba” takes on a more relaxed, truly samba mode, while “Work Song” is smoother than the original, though still swinging when necessary.

There’s a certain lightness to the group here that wasn’t always evident in performances by Adderley’s quintet. Note, for example, the way that “Sack O’ Woe” floats easily even though it lacks none of the punch of the original. The same is true of “Inside Straight,” a number that pulses along with energetic work by Marcus Miller and Steve Gadd. “Country Preacher,” Adderley’s ode to Jesse Jackson, has a more soul/R&B feel than the original, with Duke playing the melody on Fender Rhodes while Scott plays embellishment around and through the melody on soprano sax.

The level of musicianship on Cannonball Re-loaded is very high, and it sounds as good on disc as it does on paper. Scott’s playing is beautiful and soulful here, far from his days as a studio gun for hire. He shows how Adderley influenced him as well as his own ability to play solid hard bop and soulful jazz. Hargrove is an excellent complement to Scott’s sound and solo style, neither sounding much like Nat Adderley nor trying to. George Duke has not played this straight ahead on record in a while, and he meshes extremely well with Miller and Gadd, while Larry Goldings shows the reasons he is the go-to Hammond B-3 guy these days. Nancy Wilson comes in for two numbers—“Save Your Love For Me” and “The Masquerade Is Over” with her characteristic class and stylish vocal delivery. Wilson was a great, complimentary vocalist to Adderley, and her presence here truly conveys the affinity that musicians continue to feel for the saxophone great.

The disc concludes with a beautiful rendition of “Stars Fell on Alabama,” with Scott’s bright tone and melodic embellishments providing a true tribute to the spirit and the talent of Cannonball Adderley.