Legends Live, along with Big
Bands Live is a series of remastered recordings culled from
previously unreleased performances by many of the major figures in American
jazz from the archives of the German
broadcaster Südwestrundfunk. After the
end of WWII, many bands took the opportunity to tour through Europe, and they
found a welcome in the cities of Germany as well as in the allied
countries. They played to enthusiastic
crowds in Freiburg, Karlsruhe, and Stuttgart among other places, and it is
estimated that about 1600 audio and more than 350 television recordings of
their performances have been gathering dust over the years waiting to see the
light of day.
Jazzhaus is a new label launched in the U.S. by Naxos of
America and Arthaus Musik to get these live concerts out of the vault and into
the hands of jazz fans. They have
scheduled the first three releases in the series—a 1959 concert by Benny
Goodman's band, a 1977 concert by the Gerry Mulligan Sextet, and this recording
of the Cannonball Adderley Quintet at the Liederhalle Stuttgart from March of
1969—for the end of March.
Legends Live: Cannonball Adderley Quintet
is a collection of nine tracks that emphasize the ensemble's versatility and
range. There are brilliant examples of
the quintet's signature soulful blues sound: "Sweet Emma," "Why
Am I Treated So Bad," Work Song," and "Walk Tall." The only thing missing is their most famous crossover
gem, "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy." While these may not be as innovative as
some of the other tracks on the album, I must say they are plenty good enough. Adderley was always quite willing to play
some for the less sophisticated jazz fan, and for many these are when he and
the quintet are at their best.
This is not to say that the band is not at home with an
edgier sound. The set starts with
"Rumpelstiltskin," a composition by pianist Joe Zawinul (who also
wrote "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy").
This is a nine minute plus romp that has Adderley opening with a jumping
solo on his alto followed by brother Nat's cornet that swings like early Miles
Davis. Zawinul's piano is from another
world. "The Painted Dessert,"
another Zawinul composition, offers another opportunity for the band to show
its chops as it moves through a range of tempos with joyful abandon. And when Nat comes in for his solo, I'll be
damned if he's not channeling Miles Davis.
Zawinul's piano work is something special, dynamic and idiosyncratic.
Dizzy Gillespie's "Blue and Boogie" features an extended drum solo by Roy McCurdy. It looks back to the band's bebop roots. "Oh Babe," a Nat Adderley compostion, is a classic blues with a vocal by the composer. "Somewhere," from West Side Story, begins with a wistful statement of theme by the alto and builds to a climactic moment before drifting away to that hoped for somewhere. It is a stellar performance by the leader.
Dizzy Gillespie's "Blue and Boogie" features an extended drum solo by Roy McCurdy. It looks back to the band's bebop roots. "Oh Babe," a Nat Adderley compostion, is a classic blues with a vocal by the composer. "Somewhere," from West Side Story, begins with a wistful statement of theme by the alto and builds to a climactic moment before drifting away to that hoped for somewhere. It is a stellar performance by the leader.
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