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Nat Adderley

Nat Adderley may have spent a significant part of his career in the shadow of his better known older brother, the alto saxophonist Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley, but he was always a major contributor to their shared projects, and achieved a great deal in his own right after his brother's death in 1975. He was born Nathaniel Adderley, and took up trumpet as a teenager in 1946. He began playing in local bands in Florida, and made what became a career long switch to the smaller cornet in 1950. He did so against the prevailing tide. Cornet had been the horn of choice for New Orleans trumpet players in the early days of jazz, but had fallen out of fashion in favour of trumpet by the bop era. Nat Adderley Adderley evolved a distinctive signature on the instrument, blending a rich tone and earthy warmth with the horn's inherent touch of astringency to great effect. He played in an army band for a time during his military service from 1951-3, then joined the band led by vibraphonist Lionel Hampton in 1954, his first association with an established jazz figure. He remained with Hampton until 1955, and cut his earliest recordings for the Savoy and EmArcy labels that same year. Cannonball Adderley had made an early mark in New York when he sat in with bassist Oscar Pettiford at the Cafe Bohemia in Greenwich Village in 1955, but that did not translate into immediate success when the brothers joined forces in Cannonball's Quintet the following year. He broke up the group in 1957, and Nat worked with trombonist J. J. Johnson and bandleader Woody Herman before reuniting with his brother in 1959. Nat AdderleyThe earlier lack of success quickly evaporated. The band's funky, gospel-tinged jazz became one of the most successful sounds on the hard bop and soul jazz circuit, and they even scored an unexpected chart hit with 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy' in 1966. Cannonball had featured alongside John Coltrane in Miles Davis's classic Sextet which made the legendary Kind of Blue album in 1959, and that association provided the boost he needed to take off as a star in his own right, with the cornetist very much his right hand man. Nat had continued to record under his own leadership, and made his most famous record for the Riverside label in January, 1960, with a band which featured guitarist Wes Montgomery.

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17
Interview

Nat Adderley: A Player's Player

Read "Nat Adderley: A Player's Player" reviewed by Joan Gannij


This interview was originally conducted in 1997. I met Nat Adderley in jny: San Diego, California in 1986 when I was working as a disc jockey at a jazz radio station and doing the PR for La Jolla Playhouse. We did an interview about a new production of a musical being revived at the progressive La Jolla Playhouse and premiered on Broadway later that year. “Shout Up a Morning," based on the folk hero John Henry, began as ...

191
Album Review

Nat Adderley: Naturally

Read "Naturally" reviewed by Derek Taylor


Fraternal partnerships are a frequent source of creative jazz inspiration. Reference the accomplishments of Montgomery brothers (Wes, Monk and Buddy) or those of the Jones clan (Elvin, Thad and Hank) for easy examples. And then there's Wynton, Branford, Delfayo and Jason, lest we leave out the Marsalises. Family ties have a way of forging lasting musical artistry, but the hobgoblin of rivalry can also enter into the equation when one sibling's star outshines those of the others.

Nat ...

286
Album Review

Benny Golson Quintet: That's Funky

Read "That's Funky" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Looking back past the rule of Parliament to the age of Horace Silver, Benny Golson’s That's Funky pays tribute to Louis Armstrong through two renditions of his popular favorite “Mack the Knife." While the opening “funky version" starts off a bit sluggish and includes some pinched soloing by Nat Adderley, Monty Alexander’s firm comps make it swing and Golson’s smooth lines give it at least three pennies worth of class. On the “modern bebop version," Adderley’s lines are much more ...

182
Album Review

Nat Adderley: Introducing Nat Adderley

Read "Introducing Nat Adderley" reviewed by David Rickert


The Adderley brothers were key players in the birth of hard bop, a style which grew out of the advancements of Bud Powell and other pioneers who formed a sound that many artists took to the bank for years. At this point in time Cannonball had formed his first quintet with Nat as a sideman; facing indifferent recognition, Cannonball went on to join Miles Davis and met with far greater acclaim. The two would later reunite in the second Cannonball ...

177
Album Review

Nat Adderley: Introducing Nat Adderley

Read "Introducing Nat Adderley" reviewed by David Rickert


The Adderley brothers were key players in the birth of hard bop, a style which grew out of the advancements of Bud Powell and other pioneers who formed a sound that many artists took to the bank for years. At this point in time Cannonball had formed his first quintet with Nat as a sideman; facing indifferent recognition, Cannonball went on to join Miles Davis and met with far greater acclaim. The two would later reunite in the second Cannonball ...

378
Album Review

Benny Golson Funky Quintet: That​’​s Funky

Read "That​’​s Funky" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


Part 1: Way Back When. I had a colleague that always insisted that the Creedence Clearwater Revival’s recording Green River sounded better on vinyl than remastered for compact disc. I compared the two and I found this to be true, but probably not for any sonic reasons. Analog recordings are almost always warmer and rounder than their digital counterparts. There is something about that slightly “muddy” sound (and if you are wondering what I mean by that, listen to the ...

176
Album Review

Nat Adderley: A Little New York Midtown Music

Read "A Little New York Midtown Music" reviewed by AAJ Staff


Coming at the end of the ‘Seventies, this was a bit of a reunion. Nat and Johnny Griffin had played together on White Gardenia, Johnny’s salute to Billie Holiday. The others had played in various editions of the Cannonball band. (Victor Feldman and Ron Carter in the early ‘Sixties, Roy McCurdy later.) While the tone is light (the electric keys have a lot to do with it), the solos are heavy as the old friends make the most of this ...

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1

Video / DVD

John Stubblefield + Nat Adderley

John Stubblefield + Nat Adderley

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Chances are you are unfamiliar with John Stubblefield. The obscure saxophonist was versatile and could play soul-jazz, funk-jazz and avant-garde jazz in the 1970s and beyond. Which probably is why he recorded with so many different types of artists and groups over the course of his career. Stubblefield brought enormous heat and polish to his solos, often sounding different with each artist. He recorded with Anthony Braxton in May 1972, toured with Charles Mingus in early 1973 and recorded with ...

4

Recording

Nicolas Bearde's "Invitation," Produced By Nat Adderley Jr., Due January 29

Nicolas Bearde's "Invitation," Produced By Nat Adderley Jr., Due January 29

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Nicolas Bearde is a San Francisco Bay Area treasure. As a charter member of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra ensemble as well as the innovative vocal sextet SoVoSó, he’s long been internationally recognized as a versatile and fearless vocal improviser, charismatic performer, and distinctive jazz and soul stylist. While Bearde has drawn on his love for both R&B and jazz on his previous four CDs, Invitation, the singer’s fifth release on his own Right Groove Records label, is his first entirely straight-ahead ...

4

Event

Nicolas Bearde and Nat Adderley Jr CD Preview Concert at Yoshi's on September 15th at 8pm

Nicolas Bearde and Nat Adderley Jr CD Preview Concert at Yoshi's on September 15th at 8pm

Source: Nicolas Bearde

Vocalist Nicolas Bearde And Grammy-Winning Pianist/Composer Nat Adderley Jr. Hit The Jazz Trail Together “Bearde taps into music’s deeper currents, where love, desire and heartache freely intermingle." —Andrew Gilbert, jazz journalist “A powerful musical presence that touched each and every person in the audience." —John Handy About Nicolas Bearde A renowned jazz singer of remarkable depth, range and technique, with a compelling musical style has won acclaim from critics and jazz audiences worldwide. Forged from his Nashville roots, his 1980’s ...

3

Performance / Tour

Vocalist Nicolas Bearde & Special Guest Nat Adderley Jr. To Perform At Yoshi's San Francisco, Sept. 13

Vocalist Nicolas Bearde & Special Guest Nat Adderley Jr. To Perform At Yoshi's San Francisco, Sept. 13

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity

Nicolas Bearde is a jny: San Francisco Bay Area treasure. As a charter member of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra ensemble as well as the innovative vocal sextet SoVoSó, he’s long been internationally recognized as a versatile and fearless vocal improviser, charismatic performer, and distinctive jazz and soul stylist. Bearde will bring it all to Yoshi’s San Francisco on Saturday 9/13, in the company of his newest collaborator, the renowned pianist/arranger Nat Adderley Jr. Joining Bearde and Adderley for what’s billed as ...

80

Recording

Gimme Five: Forgotten Jazz Gems from Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Ron Carter/Jim Hall, Oliver Nelson and Nat Adderley

Gimme Five: Forgotten Jazz Gems from Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Ron Carter/Jim Hall, Oliver Nelson and Nat Adderley

Source: Something Else!

By Nick Deriso Even a passing fan can purchase with some confidence the touchstone jazz recordings of the last century. But what next? How to explore deeper into the legacy? SomethingElse! is here to help, with an ongoing guide to what we like to call “if/then" jazz listening ... IF YOU LIKE ... Charles Mingus' The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady THEN TRY ... Duke Ellington—Money Jungle (1962) A turbulent, challenging mix of new originals and standards like “Solitude" ...

124

Recording

Nat Adderley: Big Sax Section

Nat Adderley: Big Sax Section

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers

Two days ago I touched on Coleman Hawkins Meets the Big Sax Section from 1958, on which the tenor saxophonist was teamed with Count Basie's reeds and Billy VerPlanck's charts. In 1960, Nat Adderley [pictured] had a similar encounter, but with a different set of sax giants. On That's Right! Nat Adderley and the Big Sax Section (Riverside), the trumpeter was backed by five dynamic players--Cannonball Adderley (alto sax), Yusef Lateef (tenor sax, flute and oboe), Jimmy Heath and Charlie ...

143

Interview

Born to Swing: Nat Adderley Jr. Returns to His Roots

Born to Swing: Nat Adderley Jr. Returns to His Roots

Source: Michael Ricci

Growing up in a major jazz family, the pianist, composer, and arranger Nat Adderley Jr. was destined to be a musician. His father was the powerhouse cornetist and composer Nat Adderley, who was famed for his work with his brother, the legendary alto saxophonist Julian “Cannonball" Adderley. The 54-year-old pianist was born in Quincy, Fla., but grew up in Teaneck from age 5. He began playing the piano soon thereafter. “And I was just 11 when Cannonball and my father ...

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Performance / Tour

Melba Moore Featuring Nat Adderley Jr. Nov. 22-26 At The Iridium Jazz Club

Melba Moore Featuring Nat Adderley Jr. Nov. 22-26 At The Iridium Jazz Club

Source: Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services

IRIDIUM JAZZ CLUB 1650 BROADWAY (Corner of 51st) NEW YORK, NY 10023 RESERVATIONS: 212-582-2121, www.iridiumjazzclub.com

NEW SET TIMES BEGINNING JUNE 1, 2006 8:30 & 10:30PM, Fri. & Sat. 3rd Sets AT MIDNIGHT

Nov. 22-26 MELBA MOORE featuring NAT ADDERLEY JR. NO 3RD SHOW FRIDAY OR SATURDAY

The Iridium Jazz Club is pleased to present Tony Award-winner and versatile singer/actress Melba Moore.

Ms. Moore, whose career spans four decades ...

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Burnin’ in...

Elemental Music
2024

buy

The Stars of Jazz #2

Arkadia Records
2022

buy

That's Funky

Arkadia Records
2021

buy

Naturally

Jazzland Recordings
2003

buy

Introducing Nat...

Verve Music Group
2001

buy

Little Big Horn!

Fantasy Jazz
1999

buy

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