Adderley is remembered for his 1966 single "Mercy Mercy Mercy", a crossover hit on the pop charts, and for his work with trumpeter Miles Davis, including on the epochal album Kind of Blue (1959). He was the brother of jazz cornetist Nat Adderley, a longtime member of his band.
The name 'Canonball' is supposed to have originated from his being nicknamed 'cannibal' in his youth, on account of his prodigious eating
Early life and career
Originally from Tampa, Florida, Adderley moved to New York in the mid-1950s. His nickname derived originally from "cannibal", a title imposed on him by high school colleagues as a tribute to his voracious appetite.
His educational career was long established prior to teaching applied instrumental music classes at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cannonball moved to Tallahassee, Florida when his parents obtained teaching positions at Florida A&M University. Both Cannonball and brother Nat played with Ray Charles when Charles lived in Tallahassee during the early 1940s. Cannonball was a local legend in Florida until he moved to New York City in 1955, where he lived in Corona, Queens.
It was in New York during this time that Adderley's prolific career began. Adderley visited the Cafe Bohemia, where Oscar Pettiford's group was playing that night. Adderley had brought his saxophone into the club with him, primarily because he feared that it would be stolen, and he was asked to sit in as the saxophone player was late. That performance established his reputation.
Prior to joining Miles Davis' band, Adderley formed his own group with his brother Nat after signing onto the Savoy jazz label in 1957. He was noticed by Miles Davis, and it was because of his blues-rooted alto saxophone that Davis asked him to play with his group.
Adderley joined the Miles Davis Sextet in October 1957, three months prior to John Coltrane's return to the group. Adderley played on the seminal Davis records Milestones and Kind of Blue. This period also overlapped with pianist Bill Evans' time with the sextet, an association that led to recording Portrait of Cannonball and Know What I Mean?.
His interest as an educator carried over to his recordings. In 1961, Cannonball narrated The Child's Introduction to Jazz, released on Riverside Records.
Band leader
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet featured Cannonball on alto sax and his brother Nat Adderley on cornet. Cannonball's first quintet was not very successful; however, after leaving Davis' group, he formed another, again with his brother, which enjoyed more success.
Later life
By the end of the 1960s, Adderley's playing began to reflect the influence of the electric jazz, avant-garde, and Davis' experiments on the album Bitches Brew. On his albums from this period, such as Accent on Africa (1968) and The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free (1970), he began doubling on soprano saxophone, showing the influence of Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. In that same year, his quintet appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California, and a brief scene of that performance was featured in the 1971 psychological thriller Play Misty for Me, starring Clint Eastwood. In 1975 he also appeared (in an acting role alongside Jose Feliciano and David Carradine) in the episode "Battle Hymn" in the third season of the TV series Kung Fu.
Joe Zawinul's composition "Cannon Ball" (recorded on Weather Report's album Black Market) is a tribute to his former leader. Pepper Adams and George Mraz dedicated the composition "Julian" on the 1975 Pepper Adams album (also called "Julian") days after Cannonball's death.
Songs made famous by Adderley and his bands include "This Here" (written by Bobby Timmons), "The Jive Samba", "Work Song" (written by Nat Adderley), "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (written by Joe Zawinul) and "Walk Tall" (written by Zawinul, Marrow and Rein). A cover version of Pops Staples' "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)?" also entered the charts.
Adderley was initiated as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity (Gamma Theta chapter, University of North Texas, '60, & Xi Omega chapter, Frostburg State University, '70) and Alpha Phi Alpha (Beta Nu chapter, Florida A&M University).
Adderley died of a stroke in 1975. He was buried in the Southside Cemetery, Tallahassee, Florida. Later that year he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.
Easy to Love
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In thinking such a thing could be
That you could ever care for me
I'm sure you hate to hear
That I adore you, dear
But grant me
Just the same
I'm not entirely to blame
For love
You'd be so easy to love
So easy to idolize
All others above
So worth the yearning for
So swell to keep every home fire burning for
We'd be so grand at the game
So carefree together
That it does seem a shame
That you can't see
Your future with me
Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love
The lyrics in Cannonball Adderley's Easy to Love convey regret and longing, sung by a protagonist who recognizes the futility of their romantic desires. The singer acknowledges that the person they're singing to will likely never reciprocate their feelings, but they can't help but feel adoration for them. The line "In thinking such a thing could be, that you could ever care for me" speaks to the singer's deep feelings of inadequacy, suggesting that they don't see themselves as worthy of their love interest's affections. This idea is reinforced later in the song when the singer laments, "That it does seem a shame, that you can't see your future with me." The lyrics here suggest that the singer is resigned to unrequited love, but still finds comfort in their feelings for this person regardless.
Despite the melancholic tone of the lyrics, the song's melody and arrangement keep it feeling upbeat and light-hearted, with the jaunty piano riff and syncopated saxophone keeping time. The juxtaposition of the words and music creates a sense of wistful nostalgia, as if the singer is looking back on a time when their romantic feelings weren't so fraught with pain and longing. Overall, Easy to Love is a song about wanting something you can't have, and the complicated feelings that come along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time
I am aware of the fact that I'm wasting my time.
In thinking such a thing could be
In considering the possibility of something that is unlikely to happen.
That you could ever care for me
That you could ever have feelings for me.
I'm sure you hate to hear
I'm sure you don't want to hear this from me.
That I adore you, dear
That I love you very much.
But grant me
Still, please give me a chance.
Just the same
Nevertheless.
I'm not entirely to blame
I'm not completely responsible for my feelings.
For love
It's because of love.
You'd be so easy to love
It would be effortless to love you.
So easy to idolize
It would be simple to admire you.
All others above
Above all other people.
So worth the yearning for
It would be worth the longing and waiting for.
So swell to keep every home fire burning for
So great to keep every home flame burning for.
We'd be so grand at the game
We'd be great together.
So carefree together
So free-spirited together.
That it does seem a shame
It seems unfortunate.
That you can't see
That you are unable to recognize.
Your future with me
The possibility of having a future together.
Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love
Because it would be so easy to fall in love with you.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tommaso Starace Music
To me this is one of the greatest solos of Cannonball and in the best of the alto saxophone tradition...He was truly one of the greatests!
Tommaso Starace Music
@Jazzgent couldn't agree with you more!
Jazzgent
Although my main influence my whole life has been Phil Woods I think the Mount Rushmore of Alto saxophonists are Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Cannonball Adderley, and Phil Woods. But this solo by Cannonball is Not only the best alto saxophone Solo ever played, it is the best jazz solo ever played!
katella12
Fantastic.
greta pacino
Thanks, Good music. Take be care.
Lazar Mirić
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