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.
Stardust
Cannonball Adderley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that we're apart
You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by.
Sometimes I wonder, how I spend
The lonely nights
Dreaming of a song
The melody
Haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you
When our love was new
And each kiss an inspiration
But that was long ago
And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song
Besides the garden wall, when stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale
Tells his fairytale
Of paradise, where roses grew
Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
The memory of love's refrain.
The lyrics of Cannonball Adderley's song Stardust address a common theme in music, namely the power of music itself to evoke memories of lost love. The opening lines refer to a twilight time when the singer is alone with the memories of a past love which they try to exorcize through the power of music. The singer hears a melody that was once shared with a lover and imagines them wandering down the lane, leaving behind a song that will not die. The reference to the meadows of the singer's heart is a poignant metaphor for the deep emotional resonance of the song in their soul.
As the song progresses, the singer wonders how they spend their lonely nights, dreaming of a song that haunts their reverie. Though the love is long gone, the singer's consolation is in the stardust of the song. The reference to the stars emphasizes the universal nature of music's power, reminding the listener that they are not alone in their experience of lost love.
The final verse brings the imagery of the song to life with a nightingale telling a fairytale of paradise, reminding the singer of the beauty of the love they once shared. Though they dream in vain, the memory of the love's refrain will remain, forever intertwined with the stardust melody that has become the singer's solace.
Line by Line Meaning
And now the purple dusk of twilight time
At this moment, the sky is turning purple with the coming of the night.
Steals across the meadows of my heart
My heart feels as if it is being encompassed by the approaching night and the ensuing loneliness.
High up in the sky the little stars climb
In the sky, the small lights of stars are moving upwards, shining down on me.
Always reminding me that we're apart
I am continually reminded of a disconnect between us.
You wander down the lane and far away
You are wandering away from me down a path and gradually becoming more distant.
Leaving me a song that will not die
You are going away, but you leave a song that remains within me for eternity.
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
Our love is a thing of the past, an ephemeral memory that has become as fleeting as the stardust in the sky.
The music of the years gone by.
Our love, like music, echoes in the distance, as it is a reminder of the years that have long since passed.
Sometimes I wonder, how I spend
From time to time, I contemplate how I am investing my time.
The lonely nights
During the nights where I am alone with my thoughts.
Dreaming of a song
Dreaming of a song that brings back memories of our love.
The melody
The tune of the song is haunting, and it lingers in my mind.
Haunts my reverie
It follows me even into my daydreams.
And I am once again with you
In my reverie, I am brought back to a time when we were together.
When our love was new
This is a time when our love was still fresh and new.
And each kiss an inspiration
Each kiss was special and filled with hope, bringing us inspiration for the future.
But that was long ago
However, that time has since passed, and we are no longer together.
And now my consolation is in the stardust of a song
Now, I am left with only the stardust-like memory of our love and the song that reminds me of it.
Besides the garden wall, when stars are bright
Next to the wall in the garden, during a clear night, when the stars are especially visible.
You are in my arms
I imagine myself holding you, embracing the feeling that you evoke.
The nightingale
The sound of the nightingale fills the nearby surroundings.
Tells his fairytale
Its songs have a fairytale-like quality to them, reminiscent of a magical place.
Of paradise where roses grew
It speaks of a place called paradise, where the scent of roses filled the air.
Though I dream in vain
Despite my desire, my dreams of you are empty and unfulfilled.
In my heart it will remain
But despite this, the memory of you will always remain in my heart.
My stardust melody
This song, filled with memories of our love, will remain forever in my mind.
The memory of love's refrain.
Its refrain serves as a reminder of the love that we once shared, now a distant memory.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER GENTRY, JOHN HUTCHINSON DEAN, MATTHEW EVERITT, SIMON IAN WHITE, STUART BLACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ole Birger Pedersen
For me the greatest storytellers on the altosax were: Johnny Hodgers, Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt and Cannonball Adderley . They all had the same gift as Lester Young, beeing able to creat new melodies over the existing tunes. What a musiical inspiring gift to spent us. THANK YOU ALL.
czgibson
Wonderful playing. This is jazz storytelling at its best.
Michael Sherman
No better rendition in my humble opinion. The phrasing. The way of emoting is soul stirring for those of a kindred spirit. 4am driving my Love to work. Feeling the cool air rush through me with a simple joy. Incomparable.
Glen Boyle
so pure just a sweet tone cannonball had but allso had a big fat round blues tone the mans playing was class and so dam real,
pevensie lavere
This is luminous! Thank you for sharing. Love you, Cannonball! RIP <3
Inez Patino
Tthis is absolute friggin' paradise!
Bopity Funk
THE most influential Alto player after 'Bird--THAT sound! Like 'Bird, Coltrane, Tubby Hayes, he 'left the building' far too soon.
John Spelic
Phil Woods circa late 70s-80s had them all in spades harmonically and technically. Phil toured with Cannonball in Europe in the late 60s and actually told me, and others, Cannonball was boo’d off stage with the stuff he was playing at the time, which I admit I’m not a huge fan of either compared to his early works.
D NEIL
I’d say Sonny Stitt
Pugo Bio
The hanging clouds still can't hide you sunshining beauty - a continence I see in my mind/ I know I've lost something among the oaks and pines/ so i live on hope alone/ whistling and singing - not that i like the pain of - but simply because i know the song/ on the open seas - just me - paddling my boat along/ ive seen much - never impressed enough to stop though/naked as birth - i am - i was annoyed with these stifling hot clothes/ - that reminded me of you covering me/ protecting my poor little ego - with your motherly instincts/ - and like a foolish child - i blew it/ a bug in my ear told me this would happen - many times! - but i shooed it/- clueless/ of the knowledge it spake/ now i see who was right - when it came to the two sides of that solid debate/ not at all - is it fake!/ the power of Love! - the responsibility - my Hebrew Ana! - how low I've fallen from Grace😉/ but i remain - again - my eyes open/ you're a memory - in total - "forgoance"/- is a must for me now/ but i remember my creating force making me feel like it was proud of - and Loving me sound/- of course - by the ones put on my path/ whether kept or lost - Loving is an experience that we all should have/ no doubt - Im thankful to have gotten a taste/ where some would have let it sit in a dank pantry - while it rots and it wastes/ never remembering what they never tried/ this fact is true - i swear to those who have never lied/ ever sigh?/- it's a form of breathing - proof after pain - we live on✌🏿