Requisites
Nippon Soul ~ Cannonball Adderley Sextet | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s discussion is about an album I first heard when I lived in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1988. Two of my favorite record shops to visit each weekend were Everybody’s Records and Record Theatre. At the latter store, Nippon Soul (Riverside RM 477/RS 9477) by The Cannonball Adderley Sextet was playing over the loudspeakers, which blew me away, and I picked it up immediately. It was recorded during the group’s first Japanese tour in July 1963 at Tokyo’s Sankei Hall and released the following year. The personnel is Nat Adderley on cornet, Julian “Cannonball” Adderley on alto sax, Yusef Lateef on flute (track: A1), oboe (track: B3), and tenor sax (tracks: A2, A3, B1, B2), Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. My copy is the 1966 US Stereo reissue (Riverside RLP 9477).
Side One opens with Cannonball’s introduction of the title tune, Nippon Soul, an original by the altoist that begins with the sextet’s carefree melody. Nat sets the solos in motion with an infectiously swinging interpretation; then, Cannonball delivers a statement of delightful pleasure. Yusef’s flute compliments both horns on the following performance, and Joe scores a direct hit in the closer ahead of the theme’s reprise and ending. Cole Porter’s jazz standard, Easy To Love, moves briskly from the two-instrument introduction by Cannonball and Louis into the ensemble’s rapid delivery of the melody. Cannonball takes off like a race car covering a great distance in the opening solo, then engages in a vigorous exchange with Hayes into the sextet’s closing chorus, ending abruptly.
The first side finale, The Weaver by Yusef Lateef, is a dedication to a friend, Lee Weaver. Cannonball briefly introduces the song; then, the rhythm section gives an exhilarating introduction featuring each of the horns in the melody. Cannonball opens the solos energetically, then Yusef’s tenor sax enters slowly but expands into an ambitious performance of fierce intensity. Nat delivers an equal amount of heat on the following statement, and Joe enters the spotlight last with a lively aggressiveness preceding the ensemble’s quick reprise and climax. Side Two starts with Tengo Tango, Julian, and Nat’s original that’s suitable for dancing. The sextet opens the melody collectively; then, Cannonball gives a funky solo before the theme returns and the dance ends.
Come Sunday by Duke Ellington comes from his Black, Brown, and Beige suite. It opens with a gorgeous duet between Joe and Sam, the featured performers in this rendition. Joe shows a light touch in his playing that characterizes the beauty of this song to perfection, complimented by Sam’s bass and the front line’s subtle support into a tender ending. Brother John by Yusef Lateef is his tribute to John Coltrane and features him on the oboe as he leads the group through the melody. Yusef takes flight first with an adventurous opening solo. Afterward, Cannonball briefly comments, then Nat blazes into the second statement with considerable agility. Cannonball follows with a swiftly paced presentation, and Joe has one of his best moments ahead of Yusef’s theme restatement and finale.
Orrin Keepnews produced Nippon Soul, but who recorded the album is unknown. However, don’t let that dissuade you. The sound quality is exquisite, with an excellent soundstage that places the listener in the Sankei Hall audience as the musicians perform. If you’re a Cannonball Adderley fan, I invite you to check out Nippon Soul the next time you’re out vinyl shopping. It’s a fantastic set capturing The Cannonball Adderley Sextet at the top of their game, and despite being sixty years old, it sounds as fresh today as when it was first released. This album also complements their New York and San Francisco live releases and is highly recommended for a spot in your library!
~ Jazz Workshop Revisited (Riverside RM 444/RS 9444), The Cannonball Adderley Sextet in New York (Riverside RLP 404/RLP 9404) – Source: Discogs.com ~ Come Sunday, Easy To Love – Source: JazzStandards.com © 2023 by Edward Thomas Carter
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Pete Edward Jacobs was born on May 7, 1899 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. He played in the Musical Aces, then joined the band of Claude Hopkins from 1926 to 1928. He left Hopkins to play with Charlie Skeete in 1928, then returned to play with Hopkins from 1928 until 1938.
During this ten-year tenure in Hopkins’s orchestra, Pete recorded extensively with the group on Brunswick Records, particularly during the period 1927 to 1932. Additionally, he appeared with the band in the short films Barbershop Blues and By Request.
He fell ill in 1938 and had to quit the group, and never returned to active performance. Drummer Pete Jacobs transitioned in 1952.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Marc Buronfosse was born on May 6, 1963 in Paris, France. His musical training commenced with classical guitar studies at the age of ten, then he began lessons on the upright bass in 1982 with Thierry Barbé while achieving studies in sound engineering and musicology. After receiving a prize at the Conservatoire de Paris XII, he started playing more and more jazz, working with bass players such as Cesarius Alvim, Charlie Haden, Reggie Workman and Henri Texier. He also worked with symphonic orchestras such as the Opéra de Paris and chamber music orchestras on a tour in Japan with the Solistes de Versailles.
1991 saw him obtaining a grant from the French Ministry of Culture and attending for one year in New York at The New School of Music. During this time he worked regularly with Gary Peacock, Marc Johnson and Mark Dresser. He also met and played with Jimmy Cobb, Steve Kühn, John Abercrombie, Lew Soloff, Jim Hall, Tim Berne, Dave Liebman, and Billy Harper and numerous others.
Returning to Paris he plays with Stéphane Guillaume Quartet + Brass Project, René Aubry Septet, Michel Elmalem Quartet, and Gueorgui Kornazov “Horizons” Quintet. As an educator he teaches jazz at the Conservatoire National de Région of Paris. Bassist Marc Buronfosse presently leads a quartet with musicians Benjamin Moussay, Jean Charles Richard and Antoine Banville.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Kaoru Abe 阿部 薫 was born on May 5, 1949 in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan. Self-taught at a young age, at 17 he dropped out of highschool in 1967 to focus on perfecting his playing. The following year he played his first performance at a jazz spot named Oreo.
He generally performed solo but played with notables Motoharu Yoshizawa, Takehisa Kosugi, Yosuke Yamashita, Derek Bailey, and Milford Graves. In 1970, Laoru met guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi and recorded with him.
Abe was prolific, appearing almost every day to jazz spots and concerts. His library consists almost entirely of archival and live recordings, however he has done studio recordings.
His later years saw Kaoru playing different instruments like the bass clarinet throughout his career. By 1976 for two years he was mostly explorative with the harmonica. He was portrayed in Kōji Wakamatsu’s film Endless Waltz by novelist and punk rock singer Kō Machida.
Avant-garde alto saxophonist Kaoru Abe transitioned on September 9, 1978 from Bromisoval overdose causing an acute gastric perforation.
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The Jazz Voyager
This Jazz Voyager is on his way to NOLA to investigate for you a new spot for jazz that I’ve never been to called Chickie Wah Wah. This intimate club is a revered local place for live jazz, roots and funk music while serving up creative sandwiches.
This week I’ll be listening to native trumpeter, pianist and composer Terence Blanchard featuring the E~Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet. They will be performing two shows at 8:00 and 10:00pm. He started his career in 1982 as a member of the Lionel Hampton Orchestra, then The Jazz Messengers. He has composed more than forty film scores and performed on more than fifty. So we’ll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo and Jazz Fest on the same night.
Located in Mid~City, it’s just a short ride from the French Quarter to 2828 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119. One can always get more information at https://chickiewahwah.com/.
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