Cannonball Adderley - Sophisticated Swing (1957) {2013 Japan Jazz The Best Series 24-bit Remaster UCCU-9960}

Sophisticated Swing is the fifth album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, and his fourth released on the EmArcy label, featuring performances with Nat Adderley, Junior Mance, Sam Jones, and Jimmy Cobb. A couple of decades ago Sophisicated Swing was the title of an instrumental tune - by Will Hudson, if our memory holds up - and the music that corresponded with it had a certain sleekness that probably justified the title by the standards of that era. But today sophistication in jazz has a somewhat deeper meaning. The true jazz sophisticate has absorbed the lessons of a new musical generation, one that brought with it great advances in harmonic, melodic and rhythmic subtlety. The word "swing", too, has acquired a significance mare far-reaching than any of us could have imagined in the days of monotonous four-to-the-bar rhythm sections and comparatively limited and unimaginative syncopation.

Julian "Cannonball" Adderley and his fellow-workers are eloquent spokesmen far this new sophistication and new swing. They are essentially products of bop, with all the ineradicable advances connoted by that term; but their ties with the roots of jazz have never been broken. The instrumentation is that of the classic bop group of the early 1940s - of the memorable Gillespie-Parker quintet.

The Adderley Brothers have been heard in a variety of settings during their two years here at EmArcy: with an eight-piece band on 36043, then Julian with Richard Hayman an4 a string ensemble on 36063, followed by bath brothers in an Ernie Wilkins orchestral setting on 36077, and under Nat's leadership in the most recent set, entitled To The IVY League, on 36100. The present sides are closest in personnel and spirit to the last-named set: the Adderleys, Junior Mance and Sam Jones are still present and the only change is in the drum chair, now occupied by Jimmy Cobb, best remembered for his long association with Dinah Washington.

Casting his valuable shadow over the scene, too, is Gene Wright the bass man and composer, who wrote three of the themes for this date. Gene, heard as a valuable sideman with Buddy De France, Cal Tjader and other West Coast combos, contributed Miss Jackie's Deli9ht, Edie McLin and Cobbweb.

The session opens with Another Kind Of Soul, a minor-key theme by Nat. The tempo is brisk and the team-work concise and compact; perhaps the title was intended to convey that soulfulness can go horn-in-horn with sophistication and a relentlessly solid beat.

Miss Jackie's Delight was named for a lady disc jockey in Gene Wright's present bailiwick, San Francisco. "Gene really put all his into this one," says Cannonball. It's an extended performance - the longest track in the album - based on the blues, with Sam's bass walking 24 measures before the theme, which he plays in unison with the two horns. Notice, later, the ingenious rhythmic punctuations under the Adderleys' solos, and the wonderfully funky Mance piano.

Spring Is Here is taken slowly as an alto solo throughout with Julian milking the melody, and a particularly pretty ending.

Tribute To Brownie, by Atlanta pianist Duke Pearson, was written a few minutes after he had heard the tragic news of Clifford Brown's death. A minor theme reminiscent at times of the kind of phrases Brownie used to play, it features alto and bass solos; Nat out of respect for Brownie, limits himself to an ensemble role, far nobody could take Clifford's place in this moving tribute.

Spectacular was wriflen by bassist Sam Jones and is executed at the spectacular pace of some 80 bars per minute. The tempo is a challenge met head-on with complete aplomb by the brothers and Junior and Sam in their solos.

Jeanie is a medium-bright blues by Sam, named for his daughter. Sam is in his glory, playing the first solo and making a truly melodic excursion out of his three choruses. Nat reaches into the stratosphere for a sound-barrier-shattering solo, Cannonball swings the blues like nobody since Bird, and Junior Mance wails his way through to the brief reprise of the theme.

Stella By Starlight uses the Victor Young standard as a vehicle for Junior Mance's piano. Opening rubato, he goes into a slow tempo as the theme is exposed with simple melodic directness.

Edie McLin was named for a celebrated jazz fan in Los Angeles. Again the tempo, mood and format are of unmistakable blues coloration. Finally the newest member of the group, Jimmy Cobb, is permitted to flex his muscles, sticks and snares as he entangles himself in the swiftly-spun Cobbweb.

Personnel:
Julian "Cannonball" Adderley - alto sax
Nat Adderley – cornet
Junior Mance - piano
Jimmy Cobb - drums
Sam Jones - bass

tracklist:
01 - Another Kind Of Soul
02 - Miss Jackie's Delight
03 - Spring Is Here
04 - Tribute To Brownie
05 - Spectacular
06 - Jeanie
07 - Stella By Starlight
08 - Edie McLin
09 - Cobbweb