Julian Edwin "Cannonball" Adderley (September 15, 1928 – August 8, 1975) was a jazz alto saxophonist of the hard-bop era of the 1950s and 1960.
Adderley is remembered for his 1966 single Mercy Mercy Mercy, a crossover hit on the pop charts, and for his work with trumpeter Miles Davis, including on the epochal album Kind of Blue (1959). He was the brother of jazz cornetist Nat Adderley, a longtime member of his band.
Originally from Tampa, Florida, Adderly moved to New York in the mid 1950s. His nickname derived originally from "cannibal," a honorific title imposed on him by high school colleagues as a tribute to his vast eating capacity.
His educational career was long established prior to teaching applied instrumental music classes at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Cannonball moved to Tallahassee, Florida when his parents obtained teaching positions at Florida A&M University.
Both Cannonball and brother Nat played with Ray Charles when Charles lived in Tallahassee during the early 1940s. Cannonball was a local legend in Florida until he moved to New York City in 1955, where he lived in Corona, Queens.
It was in New York during this time that Adderley's prolific career began. Adderley visited the Cafe Bohemia (Oscar Pettiford's group was playing that night) where he brought his saxophone into the club with him, primarily because he feared that it would be stolen. He was asked to sit in as the saxophone player was late, and in true Cannonball style, he soared through the changes, and became a sensation in the following weeks.
Prior to joining the Miles Davis band, Adderley formed his own group with his brother Nat after signing onto the Savoy jazz label in 1957. He was noticed by Miles Davis, and it was because of his blues-rooted alto saxophone that Davis asked him to play with his group.
Adderley joined the Miles Davis sextet in October 1957, three months prior to John Coltrane's return to the group. Adderley played on the seminal Davis records Milestones and Kind of Blue. This period also overlapped with pianist Bill Evans's time with the sextet, an association that led to recording Portrait of Cannonball and Know What I Mean?.
His interest as an educator carried over to his recordings. In 1961, Cannonball narrated The Child's Introduction to Jazz, released on Riverside Records.
By the end of 1960s, Adderley's playing began to reflect the influence of the electric jazz avant-garde, and Miles Davis' experiments on the album Bitches Brew.[citation needed] On his albums from this period, such as Accent on Africa (1968) and The Price You Got to Pay to Be Free (1970), he began doubling on soprano saxophone, showing the influence of John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter.[citation needed] In that same year, his quintet appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival in California, and a brief scene of that performance was featured in the 1971 psychological thriller Play Misty for Me, starring Clint Eastwood.[citation needed] In 1975 he also appeared (in an acting role alongside Jose Feliciano and David Carradine) in the episode "Battle Hymn" in the third season of the TV series Kung Fu.
Joe Zawinul's composition "Cannon Ball" (recorded on Weather Report's album Black Market) is a tribute to his former leader.
Songs made famous by Adderley and his bands include "This Here" (written by Bobby Timmons), "The Jive Samba," "Work Song" (written by Nat Adderley), "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (written by Joe Zawinul) and "Walk Tall" (written by Zawinul, Marrow and Rein). A cover version of Pops Staples' "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)?" also entered the charts.
Adderley was initiated as an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity (Gamma Theta chapter, University of North Texas, '60, & Xi Omega chapter, Frostburg State University, '70) and Alpha Phi Alpha (Beta Nu chapter, Florida A&M University).
Adderley died of a stroke in 1975. He was buried in the Southside Cemetery, Tallahassee, Florida. Later that year he was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame.
Julian Edwin Adderley (n. Tampa, Florida; 15 de septiembre de 1928 - f. Gary; 8 de agosto de 1975), conocido como Cannonball Adderley, fue un saxofonista estadounidense de jazz, encuadrado estilísticamente en el hard bop y el soul jazz.
Musicalmente, su primer trabajo fue el de director de orquesta juvenil en Florida. Durante un viaje a Nueva York en 1955, se unió al grupo del bajista Oscar Pettiford, quien lo contrató unos conciertos en el Café Bohemia; como resultado del gran éxito obtenido, fue contratado por el sello discográfico Savoy, quedándose a vivir en la ciudad.
En 1957 se unió al quinteto del trompetista Miles Davis y formó parte de unos de los momentos cumbres de la historia de la música contemporánea cuando entre el 2 y 3 de abril de 1958 grabó Milestones junto al líder de la banda Davis, Paul Chambers en bajos, John Coltrane en saxo tenor, al pianista Red Garland y el baterista Philly Joe Jones. Un año más tarde participó en la grabación de uno de los discos más importantes de la historia del jazz, Kind of Blue,1 con Davis, Chambers, Coltrane, además de Jimmy Cobbs en la percusión y Wynton Kelly o Bill Evans en el piano.
Desde esos años Cannonball Adderley se ganó un lugar dentro de la escena jazzística mundial y comenzó a liderar sus propias bandas y a marcar un estilo dentro de la historia del jazz. Fue uno de los exponentes más altos del hard-bop y el impulsor del soul-jazz con su disco más conocido Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!. Entre 1959 y 1963 grabó para el sello Riverside y formó un quinteto junto a su hermano cornetista Nat Adderley e introdujo al mundo de la música a grandes valores que se destacaron posteriormente como el pianista austríaco Joe Zawinul, el guitarrista Wes Montgomery o el destacado pianista neoyorquino Bud Powell.
En 1958 grabó el disco que dejará su nombre de líder de jazz en la historia: Somethin' Else, un disco con un quinteto de lujo que incluyó a Davis en la trompeta, Hank Jones en el piano, Sam Jones en el bajo y a Art Blakey en la percusión.
También se destacó por ser un músico de una gran presencia en el escenario, cada tema era explicado de manera didáctica para que los espectadores pudieran interpretar los sentimientos que Adderley expresaba con su saxo. El 8 de agosto de 1975, en Garry, Indiana, murió a causa de un infarto.
Blossom Dearie (April 28, 1924 – February 7, 2009) was an American jazz singer and pianist, often performing in the bebop genre and remembered for her girlish voice.
Blossom Dearie was born on April 28, 1924, in East Durham, New York to a father of Irish-Scottish descent and a mother of Scandinavian descent. Different sources state her given names variously as Blossom Margrete, Marguerite Blossom, or Margrethe Blossom. As a child she studied Western classical piano but switched to jazz in her teens. After high school Dearie moved to New York City to pursue a music career and began to sing in groups such as the Blue Flames (with the Woody Herman Orchestra) and the Blue Reys (with Alvino Rey's band) before starting her solo career.
She moved to Paris in 1952 and formed a vocal group, the Blue Stars of Paris, which included Michel Legrand's sister, Christiane Legrand, and Bob Dorough. In 1954 the group had a hit in France with a French-language version of "Lullaby of Birdland". The Blue Stars would later evolve into the Swingle Singers. While in Paris she met her future husband, the Belgian flutist and saxophonist Bobby Jaspar. On her first solo album, released two years later, she plays the piano but does not sing.
One of her most famous songs from that period is "The Riviera", which was written and composed by Cy Coleman and Joseph McCarthy Jr. in 1956.
After returning from France, Dearie made her first six American albums as a solo singer and pianist for Verve Records in the late 1950s and early 1960s, mostly in a small trio or quartet setting. Dave Garroway, host of The Today Show and an early fan of Dearie, featured her on several occasions, increasing her exposure with the popular audience. In 1962, she recorded a radio commercial for Hires Root Beer. As it proved very popular, the LP Blossom Dearie Sings Rootin' Songs was released as a premium item that could be ordered for one dollar and a proof of purchase.
In 1964, she recorded the album May I Come In? (Capitol/EMI Records). It was recorded, atypically for her, with an orchestra. During this same period, Dearie performed frequently in New York supper clubs and in 1966 made her first appearance at Ronnie Scott's club in London. She recorded four albums in the United Kingdom during the 1960s which were released on the Fontana label.
After a period of inactivity, Dearie recorded the album That's Just the Way I Want to Be (containing the cult song "Dusty Springfield", an ode to the British pop star co-written by Dearie with Norma Tanega), which was released in 1970. In 1974, Dearie established her own label, Daffodil Records, which allowed her to have full control of the recording and distribution of her albums. Dearie appeared on television throughout her career, most notably giving her voice to the children's educational series Schoolhouse Rock!. Some of her pieces in this series were written by her good friend Bob Dorough, the jazz singer and composer. Her voice can be heard on "Mother Necessity, Figure Eight" and "Unpack Your Adjectives".
Songwriter Johnny Mercer, with whom she collaborated for her 1975 song, I'm Shadowing You, gave one of his final compositions to Dearie for the title song of her 1976 Daffodil album, My New Celebrity is You.
Her voice and songs have been featured on the soundtracks of several films, including Kissing Jessica Stein, My Life Without Me, The Squid and the Whale, andThe Adventures of Felix. She also recorded songs with other singers, including Lyle Lovett. She continued to perform in clubs until 2006. One of the last remaining supper-club performers, she performed regular engagements in London and New York City over many years.
Dearie died on February 7, 2009, aged 84, at her apartment in Greenwich Village, New York City. She was survived by her older brother as well as a nephew and a niece.
Blossom Dearie (28 de abril de 1926 - 7 de febrero de 2009) fue una cantante de jazz y pianista estadounidense. Encuadrada en el bebop, Dearie se caracterizaba por una «distinguida voz aniñada».
Dearie nació en East Dirham, Nueva York, Estados Unidos. De niña estudió piano clásico, pero lo cambió por el jazz en la adolescencia. Al acabar los estudios secundarios, Dearie se mudó a Nueva York, para continuar su carrera musical. Aquí comenzó a cantar en grupos como los Blue Flames (con la Woody Herman Orchestra) y los Blue Reys (con Alvino Rey's band), antes de iniciar su carrera en solitario.
En 1952 se mudó a París, donde formó un grupo vocal, The Blue Stars. En 1954 el grupo consiguió un hit en Francia con la versión francesa de "Lullaby of Birland". The Blue Stars más tarde se convertirían en los Swingle Singers. Durante su estancia en París, conoció al que sería su marido, el flautista y saxofonista belga Bobby Jaspar. En su primer disco en solitario, publicado dos años más tarde, Dearie toca el piano, pero no canta.
Una de las canciones más conocidas de esta etapa es “The Riviera”, escrita por Cy Coleman y Joseph McCarty Jr. en 1956.
En esta etapa, después de regresar de Francia, Dearie grabó sus primeros seis discos en América como cantante solista y pianista para el sello Verve Records la mayoría con un pequeño trío o cuarteto. Dave Garroway, presentador del programa Today, y uno de los primeros seguidores de Dearie, la invitó en varias ocasiones a su programa, facilitando así su difusión al público general. En 1962, graba una canción para un anuncio de radio para la cerveza "Hires Root". Como todo el mundo debe saber, el LP Blossom Dearie Sings Rootin' Songs fue lanzado como un objeto codiciado que podía ser encargado por el precio de un dólar y una prueba de compra.
En 1964, Dearie grabó su disco más conocido para el sello Capitol Records May I Come In?, grabado, inusualmente en ella, con una orquesta. Durante este mismo periodo Dearie interpretó frecuentemente en clubs donde pulió su estilo característico. En 1966, hizo su primera aparición pública en el londinense club Ronnie Scott's, donde pronto se convirtió en un número muy aclamado por el público. Grabó cuatro discos en Inglaterra, pulicados por el sello Fontana en los años 60.
In 1974, Dearie fundó su propio sello, Daffodil Records, que le permitió controlar totalmente la grabación y distribución de sus discos. Blossom apareció por televisión durante toda su carrera, especialmente con canciones para series educativas para niños, como Schoolhouse Rock! Muchas de sus intervenciones en estas series fueron compuestas por su buen amigo Bob Dorough, compositor y cantante de jazz. Se puede oír su voz en “Mother Necessity”, “Figure Eight” y “Unpack Your Adjectives”
Su voz peculiar y sus canciones fueron incluidas en las bandas sonoras de muchas películas como Kissing Jessica Stein, Mi vida sin mí, Una historia de Brooklyn y The Adventures of Felix. También grabó con algunos músicos, entre ellos Bob Dorough y Lyle Lovett.
Dearie continuó tocando y cantando en clubs. Como una de las últimas cantantes de clubs, siguió cantando y tocando en algunos números regulares en Londres y Nueva York, hasta el 2006.
Anita O'Day (October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006) was an American jazz singer.
Born Anita Belle Colton, O'Day was admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appearances shattered the traditional image of the "girl singer". Refusing to pander to any female stereotype, O'Day presented herself as a "hip" jazz musician, wearing a band jacket and skirt as opposed to an evening gown. She changed her surname from Colton to O'Day, pig Latin for "dough," slang for money.
O'Day, along with Mel Tormé, is often grouped with the West Coast cool school of jazz. Like Tormé, O'Day had some training in jazz drums (courtesy of her first husband Don Carter); her longest musical collaboration was with jazz drummer John Poole. While maintaining a central core of hard swing, O'Day's skills in improvisation of rhythm and melody put her squarely among the pioneers of bebop; indeed, a staple of her live act in the 1950s was a cover of "Four" by Miles Davis.
She cited Martha Raye as the primary influence on her vocal style, although she also expressed admiration for Mildred Bailey, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday.
O'Day always maintained that the accidental excision of her uvula during a childhood tonsillectomy left her incapable of vibrato, and unable to maintain long phrases. That botched operation, she claimed, forced her to develop a more percussive style based on short notes and rhythmic drive. However, when she was in good voice she could stretch long notes with strong crescendos and a telescoping vibrato, e.g. her live version of "Sweet Georgia Brown" at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, captured in Bert Stern's film Jazz on a Summer's Day.
O'Day's backbeat-based singing style was strongly influential on many other female singers of the late swing and bebop eras, including June Christy, Chris Connor and Doris Day.
O'Day's long-term problems with heroin addiction and alcoholism and her often erratic behavior related to those problems earned her the nickname "The Jezebel of Jazz".
Born into a broken home in Chicago, O'Day took the first chance to leave home when, at age 14, she became a contestant in the popular Walk-a-thons as a dancer. She toured with the Walk-a-thons circuits for two years, occasionally being called upon to sing. In 1934, she began touring the Midwest as a marathon dance contestant and singing "The Lady in Red" for tips.
In 1936, she left the endurance contests, determined to become a professional singer. She started out as a chorus girl in such Uptown venues as the Celebrity Club and the Vanity Fair, then found work as a singer and waitress at the Ball of Fire, the Vialago, and the Planet Mars. At the Vialago, O'Day met the drummer Don Carter, who introduced her to music theory and whom she married in 1937. Her first big break came in 1938 when Down Beat editor Carl Cons hired her to work at his new club at 222 North State Street, the Off-Beat, which quickly became a popular hangout for musicians. Also performing at the Off-Beat was the Max Miller Quartet, which backed O'Day for the first 10 days of her stay there.
While performing at the Off Beat, she met Gene Krupa, who promised to call her if Irene Daye, his current vocalist, left his band. In 1939 she was hired as vocalist for Miller's Quartet, which had a stay at the Three Deuces club in Chicago.
The call from Krupa came in early 1941. Of the 34 sides she recorded with Krupa, it was "Let Me Off Uptown", a novelty duet with Roy Eldridge, that became her first big hit. That year, Down Beat named O'Day "New Star of the Year". In 1942, she appeared with the Krupa band in two "soundies" (short musical films originally made for jukeboxes), singing "Thanks for the Boogie Ride" and "Let Me Off Uptown". The same year Down Beat magazine readers voted her into the top five big band singers. O'Day came in fourth, with Helen O'Connell first, Helen Forrest second, Billie Holiday third, and Dinah Shore fifth. O'Day married again in 1942, this time to golf pro and jazz fan Carl Hoff.
When Krupa's band broke up after he was arrested for possession of marijuana in 1943, O'Day joined Woody Herman for a month-long gig at the Hollywood Palladium, followed by two weeks at the Orpheum. Unwilling to tour with another big band, she left Herman after the Orpheum engagement and finished out the year as a solo artist. Despite her initial misgivings about the compatibility of their musical styles, she joined Stan Kenton's band in April 1944. During her 11 months with Kenton, O'Day recorded 21 sides, both transcription and commercial, and appeared in a Universal Pictures short Artistry in Rhythm (1944). "And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" became a huge seller and put Kenton's band on the map. She also appeared in one soundie with Kenton, performing "I'm Going Mad for a Pad" and "Tabby the Cat". O'Day later said, "My time with Stanley helped nurture and cultivate my innate sense of chord structure." In 1945 she rejoined Krupa's band and stayed almost a year. The reunion, unfortunately, yielded only 10 sides. After leaving Krupa late in 1946, O'Day once again became a solo artist.
During the late 1940s, she recorded two dozen sides, mostly for small labels. The quality of these singles varies: O'Day was trying to achieve popular success without sacrificing her identity as a jazz singer. Among the more notable recordings from this period are "Hi Ho Trailus Boot Whip", "Key Largo", "How High the Moon", and "Malaguena". O'Day's drug problems began to surface late in 1947, when she and her husband Carl Hoff were arrested for possession of marijuana and sentenced to 90 days in jail. Her career was back on the upswing in September 1948, when she sang with Count Basie at the Royal Roost in New York City, resulting in five airchecks. What secured O'Day's place in the jazz pantheon, however, are the 17 albums she recorded for Norman Granz's Norgran and Verve labels between 1952 and 1962.
Her first album, Anita O'Day Sings Jazz (reissued as The Lady Is a Tramp), was recorded in 1952 for the newly established Norgran Records (it was also the label's first LP). The album was a critical success and further boosted her popularity. In October 1952 O'Day was again arrested for possession of marijuana, but found not guilty.
The following March, she was arrested for possession of heroin. The case dragged on for most of 1953; O'Day was finally sentenced to six months in jail. Not long after her release from jail on February 25, 1954, she began work on her second album, Songs by Anita O'Day (reissued as An Evening with Anita O'Day). She recorded steadily throughout the 1950s, accompanied by small combos and big bands. In person, O'Day was generally backed by a trio which included John Poole, the drummer with whom she would work for the next 40 years.
As a live performer O'Day also began performing in festivals and concerts with such musicians as Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Dinah Washington, George Shearing, Cal Tjader, and Thelonious Monk. She appeared in the documentary Jazz on a Summer's Day, filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival which increased her popularity. She admitted later that she was probably high on heroin during the concert. She also said that it was the best day of her life in that hers was the star performance of the festival and she made the cover of national magazines for it.
The following year O'Day made a cameo appearance in The Gene Krupa Story, singing "Memories of You". Late in 1959, she toured Europe with Benny Goodman to great personal acclaim. O'Day later wrote in her 1981 autobiography that when Goodman's attempts to upstage her failed to diminish the audience's enthusiasm, he cut all but two of her numbers from the show.
O'Day went back to touring as a solo artist and appeared on such TV specials as the Timex All-Star Jazz Show and The Swingin' Years hosted by Ronald Reagan. She recorded infrequently after the expiration of her Verve contract in 1962 and her career seemed over when she nearly died of a heroin overdose in 1968. After kicking the habit, she made a comeback at the 1970 Berlin Jazz Festival. She also appeared in the films Zigzag with George Kennedy (1970) and The Outfit (1974) with Robert Duvall. She resumed making live and studio albums under the new management of Alan Eichler, many recorded in Japan, and several were released on her own label, Emily Records.
O'Day spoke candidly about her drug addiction in her 1981 memoir High Times, Hard Times, which led to a string of TV appearances on 60 Minutes, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The Today Show with Bryant Gumbel, The Dick Cavett Show, Over Easy with Hugh Downs, The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder, and several others. She also toured Europe, performed a 50th Anniversary Concert at Carnegie Hall and headlined New York's JVC Jazz Festival.
In 2005, her version of the standard "Sing, Sing, Sing" was remixed by RSL and was included in the compilation album Verve Remixed 3. The following year, she released Indestructible!, her first album in 13 years.
One of her best-known late-career audio performances "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby", which opens the film Shortbus (2006) by John Cameron Mitchell.
A feature-length documentary, Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer, directed by Robbie Cavolina and Ian McCrudden, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 30, 2007.
In November 2006, Robbie Cavolina (her last manager) entered her into a West Hollywood, California convalescent hospital, while she recovered from pneumonia. Two days before her death, she had demanded to be released from the hospital. On Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 2006, at age 87, O'Day died in her sleep. The official cause of death was cardiac arrest.
Anita Belle Colton (Chicago, 18 de octubre de 1919 - 23 de noviembre de 2006), (Anita O'Day) fue una cantante estadounidense de jazz. Se trata de una de las principales voces femeninas del jazz. Su estilo es tradicional, y oscila entre el swing y el bop; tiene un gran sentido de la improvisación y del ritmo. La voz de Anita O'Day es ligeramente grave y siempre suave.
La primera aparición de Anita O'Day' en una big band rompió con la imagen tradicional de las vocalistas femeninas, situándose a un nivel similar al de los otros músicos del grupo.
Animada por su madre, entró desde muy joven en el mundo de la música a través de varios concursos en los que participaba tanto como bailarina como cantante. Tras malas experiencias en breves estancias con Benny Goodman y Raymond Scott, O'Day consiguió un puesto en la orquesta de Gene Krupa en 1941. Varias semanas más tarde, Krupa contrató al trompetista Roy Eldridge, formándose un trío que alcanzó grandes éxitos como "Let Me Off Uptown", "Boogie Blues" y "Just a Little Bit South of North Carolina". Estuvo también durante un breve periodo con Woody Herman para regresar otra vez con Krupa, hasta abandonarle otra vez en 1943. Estuvo con Stan Kenton en 1944 y, finalmente, antes de su iniciar su carrera en solitario en 1946, otra vez con Krupa.
Su carrera explosionó en 1955 con su primer disco (el primero que, además, editó VERVE) titulado Anita (o This Is Anita). Anita O'Day fue siempre mucho más apreciada en el mundo del jazz que en el del pop, y así frecuentó las actuaciones en los festivales de jazz, apareciendo junto a figuras como Louis Armstrong, Thelonious Monk y George Shearing. Su actuación en el Newport Jazz Festival de 1958 la convirtió en famosa en todo el mundo tras realizarse una película titulada Jazz on a Summer's Day.
La serie de casi veinte discos para VERVE durante los años cincuenta y sesenta convirtieron a Anita O'Day en una de las más distintivas, seguidas y exitosas vocalistas de su tiempo, solo superada por Frank Sinatra y Ella Fitzgerald. Trabajó con múltiples arreglistas y en muy variados estilos, incluyendo una colaboración llena de swing con Billy May (Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy May), un disco íntimo con The Oscar Peterson Quartet (Anita Sings the Most), varios tradicionales con la Buddy Bregman Orchestra (Pick Yourself Up, Anita), uno de orientación cool con Jimmy Giuffre (Cool Heat) e incluso uno con ritmos latinos con Cal Tjader (Time for Two).
Hacia 1967, Anita O'Day tuvo que detener su carrera debido al extremo agotamiento físico derivado de su intensa actividad artística y estilo de vida, y de su adicción a la heroína.
Tras pasar varios años controlando sus adicciones a las drogas y al alcohol, regresó a los escenarios en el Festival de Jazz de Berlín de 1970 y a comienzos de los setenta con varios discos de estudio y en directo, muchos de ellos grabados en Japón y algunos realizados por su propio sello discográfico, Emily Records. Ha seguido grabando hasta los años noventa.
Publicó su autobiografía en 1981, titulada High Times, Hard Times.
