Like Dizzy Gillespie, alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley was one of the select few to be taken seriously as an artist while unfailingly conveying a tremendous sense of fun. Adderley (1928-1975) spread the good news with a pungent and inviting blend of bebop (both chordal and modal), blues, and gospel. The performances herein, recorded live in San Francisco and Tokyo in 1962 and '63, are all prime cuts by the powerful sextet that included multi-reed man Yusef Lateef, Cannonball's younger brother Nat on cornet, and pianist Joe Zawinul, who would go on to co-pilot one of the most influential bands of the 1970s and '80s, Weather Report. The program, which includes stretched-out versions of such Cannonball staples as "This Here," "Jive Samba," and "New Delhi," captures one of the outstanding jazz groups of the '60s at its scorching, soulful best.

Autumn Leaves, Dizzy's Business, Primitivo, Jive Samba, This Here, Bohemia After Dark (aka Birdland After Dark), Never Say Yes, Peter and the Goats, New Delhi

with Nat Adderley, Yusef Lateef, Joe Zawinul, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes
Recorded between 1962 and 1963.