Cannonball Adderley

Cannonball Adderley

Born: September 15, 1928

Both as the leader of his own bands as well as an alto and soprano saxophone stylist, Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley was one of the progenitors of the swinging, rhythmically robust style of music that became known as hard-bop. Born September 15, 1928, into a musical family in Florida, Adderley was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950. He became leader of the 36th Army Dance Band, led his own band while studying music at the U.S. Naval Academy and then led an army band while stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Originally nicknamed "Cannibal" in high school for his voracious appetite, the nickname mutated into "Cannonball" and stuck. In 1955, Adderley traveled to New York City with his younger brother and lifelong musical partner, Nat Jr. (cornet)

Cannonball Adderley

The Unlikely Story of Cannonball Adderley's Rise to the Top

by Alan Bryson
August 13, 2025

For me, the most gripping music stories are the tales of “overnight sensations." In the jazz sphere, we have our share. There is the story of an eighteen-year-old Billie Holiday, discovered by producer John Hammond while she was a hostess in a Harlem club. There is the tale of a seventeen-year-old Ella Fitzgerald, whose triumphant debut ...

Why Is Japan a Jazz Paradise? Part 2��From Sake to Soul: Jazz Musicians and Their Love for Japan

by Atzko Kohashi
August 6, 2025

Part 1 | Part 2 In May 2025 Japan welcomed an estimated 3.693 million visitors, marking a surge in global fascination with the country--up 125% (more than double!) compared to a decade ago. Many come for the exquisite Japanese cuisine, the tranquil atmosphere of temples and shrines, the ultra-modern buzz of Tokyo, or the ...

Alisa Clancy Served Cheer and Empathy with Her Morning Cup of Jazz During COVID, Then Signed Off

by Joan Merrill
August 4, 2025

Bay Area jazz lovers were shocked to learn that “the voice of jazz" would no longer help them greet the day with her blend of jazz and good humor in a voice like no other. After 35 years as KCSM's premiere host, Alisa Clancy announced her retirement after almost single-handedly keeping the radio station ...

Meet Alto Saxophonist Erena Terakubo

by Sanford Josephson
August 2, 2025

For many years, trumpeter/educator Tiger Okoshi has been directing the Hokkaido Grove Jazz Camp during summers in Sapporo, Japan. At one of his first camps, he met a 12-year-old alto saxophonist named Erena Terakubo."She was shining, and she knew it," he recalled. “She was determined, driven, and already sounded like a young Charlie Parker."

Ornette Coleman's and Horace Silver's "Lonely Woman" �� A Disambiguation

by Artur Moral
July 27, 2025

Reality is filled with confusion and misunderstandings; some are suggestive or creative, while others are disappointing or, worse, malicious. The jazz world is no stranger to the first type: specific compositions are often confused or misidentified as if they were the same. Usually, this happens because of similar melodies or titles that are sometimes identical. This ...

OJC Piano Greatness: Thelonious Monk & Bill Evans

by C. Andrew Hovan
June 30, 2025

Having been a source of quality reissues back when vinyl was still king, it is fitting that the Original Jazz Classics series has returned now that the vinyl renaissance continues to carry on full-force among the music-buying public. Now in its second full year of releases, Craft Recordings continues to mine its impressive back catalog for ...

Nick Brignola: Between A Rock And The Jazz Place, Part 2

by Rob Rosenblum
May 15, 2025

Part 1 | Part 2 This interview was originally published in 1969 in an Albany, New York area arts publication called Transition. It documents a time when saxophonist Nick Brignola was in the process of trying to break out of the confines of bebop and incorporate some of the elements of fusion that was ...