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 Remember You
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We'll sigh goodbye to all we ever had
Alone where we have walked together
I'll remember April and be glad
I'll be content you loved me once in April
Your lips were warm and love and spring were new
I'm not afraid of autumn and her sorrow
The fire will dwindle into glowing ashes
For flames live such a little while
I won't forget but I won't be lonely
I'll remember April and smile
In Cannonball Adderley's song "I'll Remember April," the lyrics paint a picture of love and fond memories. The first verse talks about a lovely day that will soon turn into evening, and there will have to be a goodbye to all that they ever had. The two lovers will have to part ways, alone in a place where they have walked together. However, the singer will remember April and be glad as the memory of the love they shared will remain.
In the second verse of the song, the singer talks about being content because they were loved once in April. The lips of the person they loved were warm, and their love was new during spring. The singer is not afraid of autumn and its sorrows because they will always remember April and the person they loved.
The last verse talks about the fire that will dwindle into glowing ashes since flames only last a little while. The singer says that they won't forget, but they also won't be lonely as they'll reminisce about April and smile. The lyrics are touching and bittersweet, conveying the melancholic yet somehow hopeful emotion that only a sweet memory of a past love can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
This lovely day will lengthen into evening
The day will progress into the night with the beauty and wonder of its ending.
We'll sigh goodbye to all we ever had
We will mournfully and with longing bid farewell to everything we ever shared.
Alone where we have walked together
We will be separated from each other in places we once frequented together.
I'll remember April and be glad
April invokes a positive memory that I will cherish and take pleasure in holding onto.
I'll be content you loved me once in April
It is enough for me to be happy and satisfied that you once loved me during the month of April.
Your lips were warm and love and spring were new
I have a distinct recollection of your affectionate touch and the excitement of a new relationship that existed in the past.
I'm not afraid of autumn and her sorrow
I am not fearful of sadness or grief that may come with the changing of the seasons.
For I'll remember April and you
I will recall fond memories of April and you, and this will bring me comfort and joy.
The fire will dwindle into glowing ashes
The passion and intensity of the relationship will inevitably lessen and fade with time.
For flames live such a little while
The fire of love is just as fleeting as actual flames, it doesn't last forever.
I won't forget but I won't be lonely
I will not forget what we had, but I will not feel alone because I have the good memories to hold onto.
I'll remember April and smile
I will think of April and the good times with you, and be filled with happiness and joy.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON RAYE, GENE DE PAUL, PATRICIA JOHNSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind