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.
I Got Rythm
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me to save my tears
Well I'm so mad about him
I can't live without him
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way he should
I've got it bad
My poor heart is so sentimental
Not made of wood
I've got it so bad
And that ain't good
But when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
My man an' I, we gin some
We pray some, and sin some
He don't love me like I love him
The way he should
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
Yes I've got it bad
And that ain't good
The lyrics to Cannonball Adderley's song "I Got Rhythm" reflect the struggles of loving someone who doesn't quite meet the expectations of a perfect partner. The opening lines, "Though folks with good intentions/Tell me to save my tears/Well I'm so mad about him/I can't live without him" convey the singer's sense of desperation and their inability to let go of someone they care deeply for despite the warnings of others. The following lines, "Never treats me sweet and gentle/The way he should/I've got it bad/And that ain't good" reveal the singer's recognition that their partner falls short of the ideal they hold for the way they should be treated.
Continuing on, "My poor heart is so sentimental/Not made of wood/I've got it so bad/And that ain't good" emphasizes the emotional vulnerability of the singer and their struggle to reconcile their feelings with the reality of their situation. The final lines, "But when the fish are jumpin'/And Friday rolls around/My man an' I, we gin some/We pray some, and sin some/He don't love me like I love him/The way he should/I've got it bad/And that ain't good/Yes I've got it bad/And that ain't good" suggest a sense of resignation and acceptance of the imperfections in their relationship.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Got Rhythm" convey a sense of heartache and disappointment in love, while also exploring themes of loyalty and devotion in the face of difficult circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Though folks with good intentions
Tell me to save my tears
People advise me to stop crying and move on, but I cannot control my emotions.
Well I'm so mad about him
I can't live without him
I am deeply in love with him and cannot imagine living without him.
Never treats me sweet and gentle
The way he should
Although I expect him to be kind and loving towards me, he does not treat me as well as he should.
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
My love for him is so strong that it is causing me emotional pain and distress.
My poor heart is so sentimental
Not made of wood
My heart is easily moved and is not hardened against my emotions.
I've got it so bad
And that ain't good
My love is so strong that it is overwhelming me, and this is not a good situation for me.
But when the fish are jumpin'
And Friday rolls around
At certain times, such as on Fridays or when I see jumping fish, I feel a sense of happiness and joy.
My man an' I, we gin some
We pray some, and sin some
My partner and I enjoy drinking and partying together, but we also have moments of religious reflection and possibly engage in behaviors that are considered sinful.
He don't love me like I love him
The way he should
Although I am deeply in love with him, he does not reciprocate my feelings to the same extent and is not treating me well.
I've got it bad
And that ain't good
As my love for him is deep and strong, the situation is causing me pain and distress and is not a good situation for me.
Yes I've got it bad
And that ain't good
Repeating the previous line to emphasize the depth of my emotional turmoil over this situation.
Lyrics © GUY WEBSTER/WEBSTER MUSIC , Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDWYN STEPHEN COLLINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sharp Eleven Music
Good news, the sheet music for this solo just got officially publushed here: https://www.musicnotes.com/l/g69PF
So start practicing that beauty! Even if you eventually can't reach the original tempo Cannonball played it at, it's still totally worth the lines 👌!
Yeah, and we know... practice what you preach, so we did, here is our cover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CklKzkALVwk
Arnieus
Fantastic playing. So many people have no idea what it takes to flow ideas like that. I guess you really had to bring it when playing in the same group with Coltrane.
saxophonunterricht-bergstrasse.de
Cannonball Adderley is a "Monster-Alto". One of my fav.alto-players of all time!
Ole Birger Pedersen
@kaena 64 Mine too!
kaena 64
sure but dont forget charlie Parker and sonny Stitt, 2 other monster-alto, my three favorite players
Atmospheros
Aside from the improvisation the articulation and timing is flawless
tiluriso
Awesome. Bill Evan's solo that comes afterwards is also killer. This whole concert is amazing and this super Sextet is one of Jazz's greatest ensembles of all time.
John Mark Connolly
He literally played ALL THE NOTES. There are no more notes to play. There are no words. I’ve heard interviews of him commenting on how he was “discovered.” He was a band director in Florida and Nat was in NYC, I think. Bird had passed recently and everybody was looking for the next “Bird.” So he went to NYC and got a couple of gigs after which he was labeled the next Bird. In his words, “it took me 10 years to become an overnight sensation.” Can you imagine having this guy as a band director? And they say, “those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach”? I call bs on that.
Geoff Bournes
ALLLLLL !!!
BIll
nobody bops like that