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.
Falling In Love With Love
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To keep my mind off other things
So, ladies, let your fingers dance
And keep your hands out of romance
Lovely witches
Let the stitches
Keep your fingers under control
The whole heart whole
Merry maids can sew and sleep
Wives can only sew and weep
Falling in love with love
Is falling for make-believe
Falling in love with love
Is playing the fool
Caring too much is juvenile fancy
Learning to trust is just
For children in school
I fell in love with love one night
When the mood was full
I was unwise with eyes
Unable to see
I fell in love with love
With love everlasting
But love fell out with me
The opening stanza of Cannonball Adderley's "Falling in Love with Love" poetically captures the singer's attempt to distract himself from his romantic interests with a hobby or pastime. The use of "brightly colored strings" conjures up an image of playful and carefree activity. The less playful element, the admonishment to other ladies to "keep your hands out of romance," reveals that the singer is not just bored or passing time, but actively avoiding love.
The theme of love and relationships continues throughout the song, with the lyrics invoking witches and magic as ways to conjure and control love. The "lovely witches" with their stitches pin down their love interests, while leaving "the whole heart whole." The contrast between the "merry maids" who can "sew and sleep" and the "wives" who "can only sew and weep" reminds us of the traditional paradigm of the "happy homemaker" and her sorrows.
The refrain "Falling in love with love" is a motto, turning the idea of "falling in love" into a kind of pretense or illusion. Love becomes a sort of game, where to "care too much" is to show immaturity and lack of wisdom. The closing phrase, "But love fell out with me," suggests that the singer is grieving the loss of love, but also reveals a kind of self-sabotage, acknowledging that love could not be sustained on pretenses.
Line by Line Meaning
I weave with brightly colored strings
I distract myself by creating vibrant, colorful designs
To keep my mind off other things
To avoid thinking about other upsetting or stressful things
So, ladies, let your fingers dance
Women, focus on something enjoyable and artistic
And keep your hands out of romance
Stay away from romantic relationships and focus on other parts of life
Lovely witches
Women who are enchanting and captivating
Let the stitches
Be careful and precise when sewing
Keep your fingers under control
Don't let emotions control or dictate actions
Cut the thread, but leave
End a relationship, but don't destroy the emotional connection or heart
The whole heart whole
Preserve the purity and wholeness of one's heart and emotions
Merry maids can sew and sleep
Young, single women can focus on sewing and rest without the responsibility of a husband and children
Wives can only sew and weep
Married women are burdened with domestic responsibilities and emotional struggles
Falling in love with love
Falling in love with the idea or feeling of love, rather than a real person
Is falling for make-believe
It's unrealistic and imaginary
Caring too much is juvenile fancy
Being overly attached or invested in a relationship is immature
Learning to trust is just
Trusting others is a basic lesson and skill
For children in school
Only young, inexperienced people need to learn this
I fell in love with love one night
I became enamored with the idea of being in love one evening
When the mood was full
During a time of strong emotion or passion
I was unwise with eyes
I made foolish decisions based on infatuation
Unable to see
Blind to the reality of the situation
With love everlasting
Believing in an idealized, forever love
But love fell out with me
My romantic relationship fell apart
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GUS KAHN, M. NEUMAN, VICTOR POPULAR YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind