Nat Adderley

[JohnS]

Over the last few weeks three of four cds on Riverside and Verve by or featuring Nat Adderley have reached the top of my to play pile. It occurred to me that he always comes up with a good solid and very enjoyable peformance but doesn't get his due. In my opinion he's an undersung hero.

Anyone else like to share their thoughts on Brother Nat?

[montg]

The only Nat I have is 'Work Song' which is a pure gem. I also love him on the Cannonball albums I have (especially 'Mercy Mercy'). You're right, he is overlooked.

[sidewinder]

Just been listening to him on the Roulette Woody Herman Sextet 'At The Roundtable' LP. Now this one just has to be the most unlikely Nat Adderley session. Pretty much a straight-ahead swing date. Wonder how he ende up working with Woody at this time? (around 1959).

BIG thumbs up for the Pablo double he recorded with JJ Johnson - 'Yokohama Concert'. These two make a great team and Adderley is in his usual fiery mood throughout. Superbly recorded too !

Edited August 23, 2003 by sidewinder

[king ubu]

Love Nat!

Check out the recordings he made with J.J. Johnson (included in the JJ Columbia mosaic). Those with cornet/trombone only frontline are my favorites among them.

Then yes, "Work Song"! A gem. With the different line ups things get very interesting. Good solos from everybody, too.

The VME of Nat's (can't remember the title - it has Cannon, Silver, Chambers and Roy Haynes) is great, too.

Anyone in for recommendations of leader dates Nat made? I know much of the stuff he made with Cannonball, and I'd like to have some more of Nat (without Cannon), too.

Good thread!

ubu

[JSngry]

Nat's one of those guys that deserves more praise and respect than he's gotten, but you gotta be careful not to overdo it and put him in the same leagues as the very heaviest cats. He's not THAT tough. But he is indeed a fine, multifaceted player who can always be counted on to bring an irresistable exuberence to any session he's on, and to always feature great players and good material on his own dates (except some of those kinda lame funk sides he did in the 70s) and in his own bands.

The guy's a consummate professional with a distinctive, personal style, and if he's not a font of unlimited creativity or anything like that, well, so be it. I can dig a cat who stays within himself honestly, and who doesn't cop out to complacency and boredom. You know what you're going to get from Nat, he knows what he's going to give you, everybody allows for a little bit of unpredictability here and there, and everybody's happy and willing to party as the transaction goes down. Not a bad deal at all, if you ask me.

Also remember - he was in New York BEFORE his brother arrived.

[The Mule]

This is one of my faves. Can't beat that line-up!

[BFrank]

This is one of Nat's that I always enjoyed - "A Little New York Midtown Music". Very suave and solid. A first-rate line-up as well: Johnny Griffin, Ron Carter, Victor Feldman and Roy McCurdy.

Edited August 23, 2003 by BFrank

[Morganized]

Over the last few weeks three of four cds on Riverside and Verve by or featuring Nat Adderley have reached the top of my to play pile. It occurred to me that he always comes up with a good solid and very enjoyable peformance but doesn't get his due. In my opinion he's an undersung hero.

Anyone else like to share their thoughts on Brother Nat?

I was really glad to see this thread. I couldn't agree with you more. I think he was significantly underrated as a player and overshadowed by his more famous brother. I certainly do not have all that he ever did, but on more than one occasion while listening to a different leader, I have made a special effort to find out who was playing trumpet, only to find that it was Nat. My personal experience tells me that he was much better than given credit for.

I have Work Song, some of the JJ johnson mentioned, and of course his work with Cannonball. I would be interested to hear which of his other works board members believe to be outstanding.

Edited August 23, 2003 by Morganized

[Guest ariceffron]

I didnt even know this existed till i got it for 50 cents last week: Live at Memory Lane on atlantic, c. 67 or so. nat w/ the cannonball band, but take out cannon, replace w/ : : JOE HENDERSON! Listen to joes solo on FUN. it is out of control. is this one on cd? You all need it.

[catesta]

I really enjoy Nat.

Listened to this date just this morning.

[mikeweil]

I enjoyed his playing on A.K.Salim's "BluesSuite" on Savoy, he steals the show whenever he plays a solo.

[connoisseur series500]

I like Nat's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" under his own name not the session under his brother's name. I can't remember, but I think Gary Bartz plays on it.

Nat was a very good composer. Many of Cannonball's best songs were written by his younger brother. Don't forget that aspect of the man.

[James]

I've always enjoyed Nat's recording "On the Move" (Evidence Music, '93) with Sonny Fortune, Larry Willis, Walter Booker and Jimmy Cobb.

One day many years ago I was listening to the local jazz station (which I did a show on) announce the fact that Nat was going to be in-studio for a live interview. Luckily I was in a position to bolt down to the station and tip-towed up to the open studio door with the interview in progress. Nat was a GREAT interview, very comical, and temporarily derailed the discussion by drawing me into it -- repeatedly mentioning how much he liked the safari hat I was wearing on that hot summer day. I was so young and in awe I didn't have the presence of mind to just take the hat off and give it to him!

Nat was certainly a pleasure to be around and I have to agree that his talents have been somewhat overlooked.

[king ubu]

Nat does great job on Paul Golsalves' Gettin' Together (Jazzland/OJC)

ubu

[Sundog]

Nat was definitely a bit underrated as a composer. I really dig "Fun" and the SIDEWINDERish "Games" off of Cannonball's Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! album. They are both excellent vehicles for some much better than average improvisation. Then of course there's "Worksong" which I never get tired of playing or listening to. VIVA NAT!

[EKE BBB]

Wynton Kelly: Kelly Blue!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Tom posted this yesterday

Again, the real surprise for me on this session is Nat. If this guy played a better session, I'm not aware of it. Great work throughout.

So I thought I'd start a thread. But I found I didn't need to!

My take on Cannonball is different; I started buying his albums because I loved Nat's playing so much. "Work song" was one of the early Soul Jazz albums I bought, in 1961, really before I knew much about it, and therefore had quite an impact on the development of my ideas.

A funny thing is, until the last few months, I never bothered with other Riverside albums by Nat. I've got tons of his stuff, but mostly later recordings. But I'm really enjoying

Branching out

Much brass

In the bag

Little big horn

Others I've had for a while that are in regular circulation on my player are

Sayin' Somethin'/Live at Memory Lane - Atlantic twofer on Collectables with Joe Henderson (from 1966/67)

A little New York midtown music - Galaxy (OJC) (1978)

Noble & Nat - King Snake (1990) (great joint effort with Noble "Thin Man" Watts)

Talkin' about you - Landmark (1990)

The old country - Enja (1990 again)

Workin' - Timeless (live in Berlin 1992)

A Night in Manhattan - Alfa Jazz (also 1992)

Good company - Challenge (1994)

Live at the Floating Jazz Festival - Chiaroscuro (1994) - Nat tells some great stories on this 2 CD set, as well as the music - like Cannon, he had the gift of the gab

Mercy mercy mercy - Alfa Jazz (Evidence) (1995)

As a sideman, Nat played on some great sessions. Some of my favourites that haven't been mentioned are

King Curtis - The new scene of King Curtis - New Jazz (OJC)

King Curtis - Soul meeting - Prestige (OJC)

Gene Ammons - Goodbye - Prestige (OJC)

Gene Ammons - And friends at Montreux - Prestige (OJC)

Don wilkerson - The Texas twister - Riverside (OJC)

James Clay - A double dose of soul - Riverside (OJC)

Bennie Green & Gene Ammons - The swingin'est - VeeJay

Yes, I listen to Nat a whole lot more than I listen to Cannon. I love the SOUND of Nat's cornet. and, though I really like Cannon's playing, I'm not so keen on his sound, compared to Lou Donaldson, Sonny Criss or Sonny Cox.

So, to me, Nat is really on a par with Blue Mitchell because, in their different ways, they both made beautiful sounds on their instruments; lovelier than any other trumpet/cornet/flugelhorn players.

MG

[John L]

So, to me, Nat is really on a par with Blue Mitchell because, in their different ways, they both made beautiful sounds on their instruments; lovelier than any other trumpet/cornet/flugelhorn players.

Nice post, MG

I agree about the attractiveness of Nat and Blue's pure sound. To that "lovely sound" group, I would also add Miles Davis, Art Farmer, and Thad Jones. They didn't need many notes to really move you. They could do it with the beauty of their sound/tone.

Edited January 22, 2008 by John L

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

So, to me, Nat is really on a par with Blue Mitchell because, in their different ways, they both made beautiful sounds on their instruments; lovelier than any other trumpet/cornet/flugelhorn players.

Nice post, MG

I agree about the attractiveness of Nat and Blue's pure sound. To that "lovely sound" group, I would also add Miles Davis, Art Farmer, and Thad Jones. They didn't need many notes to really move you. They could do it with the beauty of their sound/tone.

Yes, Art is one I would have mentioned, had I not forgotten

I think I agree with you about Thad, but I don't think I've really got enough of his work to judge - one LP's worth on the Turrentine Mosaic and, I think, another on the Stitt Mosaic, is about all.

MG

[Niko]

never heard of Sonny Cox... but taking the info from this thread that he is the same person as the basketbal Snny Cox

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...mp;#entry341737

funny to see him (still?) discussed on basketball boards...

http://blogs.suntimes.com/preps/2007/07/ma...inois_it_g.html

like this post:

Coach Cox benefitted from a Chicago Public League climate that was lawless. His teams until the early 1990’s were All-Star teams by virtue of his outright recruitment of the city’s best players. Efrem Winters (Illinois), Marcus Liberty (Illinois, Denver Nuggets/Detroit Pistons), Levertis “Levertical” Robinson (Cincinnati), Jamie Brandon (LSU), Rashard Griffith (Wisconsin), Thomas Hamilton, Michael Hermon (Indiana) and Leon Smith (Atlanta Hawks/Seattle Supersonics) all played for the Pimp of the Public League. It was this kind of stratospheric talent that enabled Cox to steal three state titles (1986, 1990, 1993) despite having a coaching IQ in the single digits. The fact that Cox has a trio of state titles is a crime. Fortunately, when the Public League began to enforce even a modicum of rules, Cox’s fortunes plummeted and he disappeared.

there was one sideman date where Nat Adderley really stood out that i listened to recently... don't have it here to check but iirc it was Don Wilkerson's Texas Twister... get that one while you can still get it at least at a half-decent price!

Edited January 22, 2008 by Niko

[BillF]

Nat plays some pretty powerful stuff on Philly Joe Jones's Blues for Dracula.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

never heard of Sonny Cox... but taking the info from this thread that he is the same person as the basketbal Snny Cox

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...mp;#entry341737

funny to see him (still?) discussed on basketball boards...

http://blogs.suntimes.com/preps/2007/07/ma...inois_it_g.html

like this post:

Coach Cox benefitted from a Chicago Public League climate that was lawless. His teams until the early 1990’s were All-Star teams by virtue of his outright recruitment of the city’s best players. Efrem Winters (Illinois), Marcus Liberty (Illinois, Denver Nuggets/Detroit Pistons), Levertis “Levertical” Robinson (Cincinnati), Jamie Brandon (LSU), Rashard Griffith (Wisconsin), Thomas Hamilton, Michael Hermon (Indiana) and Leon Smith (Atlanta Hawks/Seattle Supersonics) all played for the Pimp of the Public League. It was this kind of stratospheric talent that enabled Cox to steal three state titles (1986, 1990, 1993) despite having a coaching IQ in the single digits. The fact that Cox has a trio of state titles is a crime. Fortunately, when the Public League began to enforce even a modicum of rules, Cox’s fortunes plummeted and he disappeared.

there was one sideman date where Nat Adderley really stood out that i listened to recently... don't have it here to check but iirc it was Don Wilkerson's Texas Twister... get that one while you can still get it at least at a half-decent price!

The REAL Sonny Cox was the alto player with a sixties Chicago organ band called The Three Souls. Made two LPs for Cadet under that name and one under Cox's name (augmented band). Cox sounds rather like a chicken being strangled at times.

MG

[Niko]

never heard of Sonny Cox... but taking the info from this thread that he is the same person as the basketbal Snny Cox

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php...mp;#entry341737

funny to see him (still?) discussed on basketball boards...

http://blogs.suntimes.com/preps/2007/07/ma...inois_it_g.html

like this post:

Coach Cox benefitted from a Chicago Public League climate that was lawless. His teams until the early 1990’s were All-Star teams by virtue of his outright recruitment of the city’s best players. Efrem Winters (Illinois), Marcus Liberty (Illinois, Denver Nuggets/Detroit Pistons), Levertis “Levertical” Robinson (Cincinnati), Jamie Brandon (LSU), Rashard Griffith (Wisconsin), Thomas Hamilton, Michael Hermon (Indiana) and Leon Smith (Atlanta Hawks/Seattle Supersonics) all played for the Pimp of the Public League. It was this kind of stratospheric talent that enabled Cox to steal three state titles (1986, 1990, 1993) despite having a coaching IQ in the single digits. The fact that Cox has a trio of state titles is a crime. Fortunately, when the Public League began to enforce even a modicum of rules, Cox’s fortunes plummeted and he disappeared.

there was one sideman date where Nat Adderley really stood out that i listened to recently... don't have it here to check but iirc it was Don Wilkerson's Texas Twister... get that one while you can still get it at least at a half-decent price!

The REAL Sonny Cox was the alto player with a sixties Chicago organ band called The Three Souls. Made two LPs for Cadet under that name and one under Cox's name (augmented band). Cox sounds rather like a chicken being strangled at times.

MG

see that organissimo thread i've quoted... if Larry Kart says the're the same person...

[sidewinder]

Anyone else like Nat's work in the front line with JJ Johnson? I always felt he was a very good foil for JJ (JJ being the virtuoso analytical/methodical stylist and Nat being the contrasting 'seat-of-pants', more emotional guy). Not only on the Mosaic set but also on the two Pablos - 'Yokohama Concert' and the CD follow up, Volume 2. Have had great pleasure over the years enjoying JJ and Nat on their Yokohama gig, which was also beautifully recorded.

[Shawn]

To me he has always been an acquired taste, sometimes his playing makes me want to jump up and shout HALLELUJAH...other times he can sound a little out of his depth. I prefer his playing in the 60's (starting around the time of the Sextet albums with Lateef) and think he really hit his groove about mid-decade.