Julian Cannonball Adderley

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Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928 - August 8, 1975), originally from Tampa, Florida, was a jazz saxophonist of the small combo era of the 1950s and 1960s.

Cannonball was a local legend in Florida until he moved to New York in 1955. He joined the Miles Davis sextet in 1957, around the time that Sonny Rollins left the band. He played on the seminal Davis records, Milestones and Kind of Blue.

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet featured Cannonball on alto sax and his brother Nat Adderley on cornet. Adderley's first quintet was not very successful. However, after leaving Davis' group, he reformed another, again with his brother, which enjoyed more success. The Quintet (which later became the Sextet) and Cannonball's other combos and groups included such noted musicians as pianists Bobby Timmons, Victor Feldman and Joe Zawinul (later of Weather Report), bassist Sam Jones, drummer Louis Hayes and saxophonists Charles Lloyd and Yusef Lateef. The group was noteworthy towards the end of the 1960's for achieving crossover success with pop audiences, without making artistic concessions.

The nickname "Cannonball" was a butchered version of "cannibal", a childhood nickname for the portly saxophonist. An articulate speaker with an easy manner, Cannonball educated, amused, and informed his audiences in clubs and on television about the art and moods of jazz (he was a music teacher before beginning his jazz career).

By the end of 1960s, Adderley's playing began to reflect the influence of the electric jazz avant-garde, and Miles Davis' experiments on Bitches Brew. On his albums from this period, such as The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free he began doubling on soprano saxophone, showing the influence of John Coltrane & Wayne Shorter. Joe Zawinul left his band in the early seventies to be replaced by George Duke.

Sadly, before he could explore the new music any further, Cannonball Adderley died of a stroke in 1975. He was buried in the Southside Cemetery, Tallahassee, Florida. Joe Zawinul's composition "Cannon Ball" (recorded on Weather Report's album Black Market) is a tribute to his former employer.

Songs made famous by Cannonball and his bands include 'This Here' (written by Bobby Timmons), 'The Jive Samba', 'Work Song' (written by Nat Adderley) and 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy' (written by Joe Zawinul).

Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones named both of his sons Julian, allegedly in honor of Adderley.

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