Cannonball Adderley: Know What I Mean? CD Track Listing

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Cannonball Adderley Know What I Mean? (1961)
Originally Released 1961\nGold CD Released January 30, 1996\nRemastered Edition Released November 27, 2001\n\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: What's better than a Bill Evans Trio album? How about \na Bill Evans trio album on which the bassist is Percy Heath, the drummer \nis Connie Kay, and the leader is not Evans but alto sax god Cannonball \nAdderley, making the group actually a quartet? It's a different sort of \nensemble, to be sure, and the musical results are marvelous. Adderley's \nplaying on "Waltz for Debby" is both muscular and sensitive, as it is \non the other Evans composition here, a modal ballad called "Know What \nI Mean?" Other treats include the sprightly "Toy" and two takes of the \nGershwin classic "Who Cares?" The focus here is, of course, on Adderley's \nexcellent post-bop stylings, but it's also interesting to hear Evans playing \nwith a rhythm section as staid and conservative as Kay and Heath (both \ncharter members of the Modern Jazz Quartet). It's hard to imagine any \nfan of mainstream jazz not finding much to love on this very fine recording. \n-- Rick Anderson\n\nAmazon.com Editorial Review\nAlto saxist Cannonball Adderly and pianist Bill Evans, bandmates on Miles \nDavis's epochal Kind of Blue, were band leaders by the time they teamed \nup in 1961 for this moody, yet lyrical, date. Though remastered with state-of-the-art \ndigital technology, Riverside has kept the original artwork and liner \nnotes, maintaining the flavor of this classic jazz LP. Adderly's robust, \nbluesy tone and buoyant phrasing make for an interesting contrast to Evans's \nrainy-day introspection. Coupled with the light touch of drummer Connie \nKay and the gentle probing of bassist Percy Heath, the music projects \na sophisticated and relaxed mood. On the sensitive ballads, such as "Goodbye" \nand "Elsa," Adderly reveals his after-hours side, reveling in the fullness \nof his rich sound. --Wally Shoup \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nStunning, swinging and beautiful, February 6, 2002 \nReviewer: jaymusic from Montclair, NJ United States \nThis relaxing and thoroughly unforgettable album brings together the high-spirited \nCannonball Adderley and pianist Bill Evans, who had both worked with Miles \nDavis just two years earlier, along with the Modern Jazz Quartet rhythm \nsection of Percy Heath and Connie Kay. The juxtaposition of these two \njazz giants and their contrasting styles, seems to have brought out some \nof the best playing from both of them. Evans is heavily featured in intros \nand outros, as well as with his reprertoire staples "Elsa" and his well-known \n"Waltz For Debby". His playing here is enthralling, exuberant and melodic, \nbeing spurred on by Cannon's warmth, and his bouncy improvised melodies \non the more up tunes, aided by and the cozy charm and accompaniment of \nHeath and Kay. \nThis is indeed one of those rarest of sessions -- every track is a gem, \nand almost all of the solos are without a doubt inspired. For professional \nmusicians, these would be ideal for study transcriptions in the improvisational \nart of jazz. Cannonball's sweet treatments of Gordon Jenkins' poignant \n"Goodbye" and Frank Sinatra's gorgeous "Nancy" display a ballad artistry \nnot always emphasized in contemporary writings about the artist; often \ninvoking a Benny Carter approach. Bill Evans, (sharing almost equal billing \nwith Cannon on the album cover) was perhaps at his first creative peak \nhere in 1961, and is far more than a sideman: he makes every note count, \nand consice statements flow from his sensual, yet never maudlin piano. \nHis playing on Earl Zindars' beautiful waltz "Elsa" rivals the many other \nversions he did over the years, as he shapes and carefully hones every \nphrase. That "inner conviction" he often spoke about in interviews, is \nmost apparent here, and again on "Nancy." It would only be three months \nafter this album was completed that Evans' classic trio with Scott LaFaro \nand Paul Motian would be recording "live" at the Village Vanguard -- recordings \nwhich became his most popular and critically acclaimed albums ever.\nMake no mistake, these guys swing too on this session, and bright and \nairy it is --notably on the often neglected "Toy" by Clifford Jordan, \n(listen to Cannonball's "laughing" sax motifs and the piano interplay \ntoo) and the rousing Gershwin classic "Who Cares". (The CD gives us a \npreviously unreleased version which is just as much fun.) Connie Kay's \ntime is steady and the feeling is light, yet relentless in its refined \ngroove; his long MJQ association with Percy Heath bearing much fruit and \nspurring on the soloists.\nIt is not often that a jazz album invokes such intelligent romanticism, \nwithout being corny in the least, yet peppered with such joyous swinging. \n"Know What I Mean" creates a definable and exquisite mood thoughout, and \nI wouldn't doubt that many romantic evenings were spent with this classic \nLP on the turntable in the early sixties. Many Julian Adderly fans have \nsaid this is some of their favorite work by him, and the same could be \nsaid of Evans' superb performance as well. \nThe sound of the recording is also quite remarkable for the time, which \ncontributes to the overall freshness of these sessions. That these players \nwere all at the top of their form, and outwardly projecting such joy and \ninnate musicality only adds luster to their stature as legends, and it \nall makes this album one that will keep playing in your head for a long, \nlong time. \n\nAmazon.com Customer Review\nThis record should be up there on the all time great lists, October 22, \n1999 \nReviewer: Paul Savage from Surrey, England \nThis collaboration between two highly intelligent and creative musicians \nshould be in every jazz CD collection, and should be ranked up there with \nthe 'Ah Ums' and 'Blue Trains'. Evans and Adderley clearly loved each \nother's playing and it shows in every note. I wish they had recorded more \ntogether. Both were at the peak of their powers in 1961 and recent graduates \nof the great Miles Davis Sextet of 1958-9 which some reckon the best jazz \ncombo ever. I never get bored of this record. Evans is often accused of \nlacking a hard swing and even of not playing jazz at all. This record \nis the most eloquent counter to that argument there could be - Evans swings \nevery bit as hard as the swinging and funky Adderley, playing great jazz \nbefore fashion and the desire to make a buck pushed the great altoist \noff in a different direction. BUY IT TODAY!! \n\nHalf.com Album Credits\nConnie Kay, Contributing Artist\nPercy Heath, Contributing Artist\nBill Stoddard, Engineer\nOrrin Keepnews, Producer\n\nAlbum Notes\nPersonnel: Cannonball Adderley (alto saxophone); Bill Evans (piano); Percy \nHeath (bass); Connie Kay (drums). Recorded at Bell Sound Studios, New \nYork, New York on January 27, February 21 and March 13, 1961. Originally \nreleased on Riverside (9433). Includes liner notes by Joe Goldberg and \nOrrin Keepnews.Digitally remastered using 20-bit K2 Super Coding System \ntechnology.Possibly the best of Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's many releases, \n1961's KNOW WHAT I MEAN? finds the alto saxophonist in a different setting. \nUsually found fronting hard-bop combos featuring his brother Nat on cornet, \nAdderley is here accompanied by pianist Bill Evans, bassist Percy Heath, \nand Modern Jazz Quartet drummer Connie Kay. In these more placid surroundings, \nAdderley showcases an entirely different side to his playing.Accompanied \nby Evans' impressionistic, watery piano and Kay's low-key drums, Adderley's \nlines are lighter and more peaceful than his usual bluesy tone. The opening \n"Waltz for Debby" and the moody "Who Cares" could pass for outtakes from \nMiles Davis' KIND OF BLUE, a record on which both Adderley and Evans had \nplayed. KNOW WHAT I MEAN? is something of an anomaly for Adderley, but \nit's a delightful one. This is an under-appreciated masterwork of modern \njazz. The CD includes two alternate takes.\n
This jazz cd contains 10 tracks and runs 54min 7sec.
Freedb: 7a0cad0a

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