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.
Goodbye
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All them long and lonely nights I put you through
Somewhere in there I'm sure I made you cry
But I can't remember if we said goodbye
But I recall all of them nights down in Mexico
One place I may never go in my life again
Was I just off somewhere just too high
But I can't remember if we said goodbye
I only miss you here every now and then
Like the soft breeze blowin up from the Carribean
Most Novembers I break down and cry
But I can't remember if we said goodbye
In Cannonball Adderley's “Goodbye,” the singer reflects on a past relationship and contemplates their final moments together. They admit to putting their former partner through “long and lonely nights” that resulted in tears shed, but they cannot remember if they said goodbye. The mention of Mexico highlights a past trip taken together and how that memory still holds a strong place in their heart, despite the possibility of never returning. The singer experiences sporadic emotions of longing and sadness, but even these emotions are clouded by the uncertainty of how things ended between them. The soft breeze blowing up from the Caribbean serves as a reminder of their former partner, but even then, the singer cannot confidently say goodbye. The lyrics suggest that even without complete closure, memories of the past can continue to affect the present.
The song's lyrics are incredibly relatable to many people who have had failed relationships in the past but can't seem to shake off the memories. The ambiguous goodbye is a common issue in breakups, leaving one person wanting closure while the other doesn't.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember holdin' on to you
I remember holding onto you in the past.
All them long and lonely nights I put you through
I put you through long and lonely nights.
Somewhere in there I'm sure I made you cry
At some point in the past, I am sure that I made you cry.
But I can't remember if we said goodbye
I do not recall if we said goodbye or not.
But I recall all of them nights down in Mexico
I do remember all of the nights we spent in Mexico.
One place I may never go in my life again
I may never go to that place again during my lifetime.
Was I just off somewhere just too high
I wonder if I was just somewhere else or too high during that time.
But I can't remember if we said goodbye
However, I still cannot remember if we said goodbye.
I only miss you here every now and then
I only miss you every now and then when I am here.
Like the soft breeze blowin up from the Carribean
I miss you like the soft breeze coming up from the Caribbean.
Most Novembers I break down and cry
Most Novembers, I tend to break down and cry.
But I can't remember if we said goodbye
Yet, I still cannot remember if we said goodbye.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Royalty Network, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Steve Earle
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheFreemanuk
Top 5 jazz albums of all time x
@henrybeige
Absolutely
@Wilfslad
from the year I was born, what smoking sax !
@vanea99
I'm sure you are a smoking man too! Thanx for posting this masterpiece.
@riccardoragone7658
Uno dei lavori musicali più poetici che abbia ascoltato e riascoltato
@arvstephenson1107
Wonderful, wonderful.
@rubenantaglez8641
Gracias por subir este temazo y con bill evans.
@OCULTOBEATZCODE
00:31
@proletariatrace
3:15-3:26. Talk about lyricism
@riccardoragone7658
Concordo il lirismo è innato in Bill Evans!