Julian Adderley Jazz Musician - Essay Example

Julian Adderley Biography A Jazz musician of all time, Connonball Adderlay’s at birth was Julian Adderley. He was born in Tampa, Florida on September 15, 1928. He went to U.S. Navy School of Music. He later moved to New York City at the start of 1950. He performed with Miles Davis, and John Coltrane, comparing himself to Charlie Parker, whose musical style he greatly admired. He played the alto saxophone; his critics appreciated his upbeat style. He was the eldest in their family. He had two younger brothers. His father was a celebrated coronate player and a revered musical performer. He encouraged his children Connonball and Nat to exploit their musical talents. Nat followed his father’s musical style and preferred the coronet while Adderley preferred the alto saxophone that he progressed well with. Over the years, he learned to play soprano, flute, as well as tenor sax. Adderley died on August 1975, succumbing to diabetes (Gridley 35). Jazz Life Julian earned his nickname Connonball while in high school for his appetite for food. He won many awards through his smooth jazz songs that carried messages of love, hope, and humor that people across ages could identify with and relate to. He had a very effective band that performed concerts in many events within Europe as well as outside Europe. After graduating from high school, Adderley joined A & M University in Florida where he studied reed and bass instruments. Upon graduating in 1948, he remained in Florida for many years, working as band director at Dillard High School. By the start of 1950, his music was hugely recognized and had gone beyond the local music; his music was now popular among people from outside Florida (Gridley 67). In 1955, together with Nat, they moved to New York City. Here, they formed a musical band that they christened the Connonball Adderley Quintet. Later in the same year, he played cameo at a popular nightclub and was a favorite among his now growing number of admirers and enthusiasts. Notable about his style was the upbeat, fast-paced style he exhibited. Soon, great jazz players and godfathers recognized him and wanted to sign contacts with him. He dissolved the band in 1957 and joined Miles Davis’s band group. Adderley performed alongside Bill Evans and John Coltrane and played a significant role in the production of landmark albums, Milestones (1958), and Kind of Blue (1959). Not only was Adderley a talented Jazz performer, he was its greatest defender. He especially encouraged African Americans to appreciate jazz music for its significance in the society (Gridley 72). Musical Analysis Perhaps two words that encapsulate Adderlay’s alto saxophone’s jazz songs are “soul” and “joy”. These were the unique qualities that he brought into jazz music. Different musical scholars agree that Adderley revolutionized jazz songs in a unique way that enabled people from diverse backgrounds to appreciate just what role music could play in their daily lives. It brought unity and appreciation of diverse cultures. This was especially true given that Adderlay’s music gained huge acceptance among black Americans and the whites in equal measure. But just was so unique about his songs? These unique qualities, together with a combination of various jazz fusions, helped to bridge the gap between the traditional jazz and the new jazz. His landmark recording Kind Of Blue showed this new blend (Gridley 14). He used tonal variations and new instrumentation to make his songs appealing to people from all ages; from all cultures. To perfect his new jazz music, Adderley used a blend of soul, bepop, funk, and R&B to make his jazz music as relevant to the contemporary times as much as possible. This paid off going by the huge number of fans identifying with his music inside and outside Europe from 1960’s onwards. He always ensured that he worked with the best percussionists and keyboard players. Adderley ensured that he used the best composers and trumpeters. Through his “soul” and “joy” styles of music, he took jazz music to new heights. He literary took his audience to the greatest level; far beyond the achievements of Charlie Parker who had been a great saxophonist, as well. Besides, Adderley was instrumental in defining hard-bop sound. He did this through a blend of blistering technique and outwardly effortless skill to bond gospel, funk, and blues with funk. When Adderley joined Davis Jazz group, he introduced new jazz techniques to help form records such as Something Else. He did this through an intricate network of drummers, bassists, and pianists. Perhaps these technical techniques were to later explain the notable successes of “Love for Sale” and “Autumn Leaves.” Cannonball added life to the Davis’s jazz group by introducing tenor and alto, a combination of musical sounds that rejuvenated jazz music and increased its popularity in the contemporary society (Gridley 15). Notable recordings such as Porgy, Bess, and Milestones, encapsulate this. Connonball always ensured that he included drummers, pianists, bassists and “tenor” singers so as to achieve the desirable sound effects and tonal variations that would appeal to his audience. He wanted to ensure that whenever he performed his musical pieces would rhyme and be in harmony with the drum sets, flutes, and pianos so as to culminate in the best performance ever. Listening to Kind of Blue, one notices the distinctive tonal variation in what became popularly known as modal jazz. Together with Bill Evans and Coltrane (they performed together in the Davis Jazz group), Adderley added what is commonly referred to as impressionist harmonies, by taking advantage of Coltrane’s “murderous technique” and his own blues-oriented solos. Together with the contribution of band members and guest players, Adderley was able to make a unique and considerable contribution to the modern jazz music. The new configuration is evident in the modal classics “All Blues”, and “So What” where Cannonball’s solo swings literary raise the roofs. Perhaps this infusion of ballad is a distinctive new addition to jazz and hard bop. Evidently, Adderlay’s alto saxophone’s legacy is only comparable to Charlie Parkers’ (Gridley 29). Contribution to Jazz and Hard Bop Borrowing heavily from Charlie Parker’s styles, Adderley was able to create his own musical niche in hard bob and modal classic. He used a variation of instrumentation, diverse voices, as well as unique stage settings to create a revolutionized jazz performance. His jazz music and hard pop were inspired by R&B phrasing; this greatly introduced the concept of rhythm and slow music that allowed listeners to appreciate the words in the songs through well-choreographed dance moves during concerts. Perhaps what can also be appreciated about Connonball was the fact that he was creative and talented enough to invent new instrumentation, highly decorated yet oftentimes florid lines; vigorous blues harmonies, and rich, full tones that defined him and his distinctive modal jazz and hard bop. The whole idea behind hard bop was to make this category of music very rhythmic, emphatic and colorful. Adderley helped in making jazz more rhythmically complex and atonally obtuse in the 1960’s (Gridley 71). He introduced a straightforward approach that made jazz popular with ordinary citizens. His music carried happy messages, an evident unique identity of hard pop. He alternated between using quintet and sextet, as well as saxophone arrangements that he would change from time to time to fit prevailing circumstances. His songs were kind, generous, and incorporated styles from other musical genres (Gridley p49). He introduced a new current; a new wave of musical explosion that integrated influences from gospel music, rhythm and blues, and blue, particularly in piano playing and saxophones. Adderley Connonball made jazz music and hard pop more vibrant and popular. Works Cited Gridley, Mark. "Walk Tall: The Music and Life of Julian" Cannonball" Adderley by Cary Ginell, and: Jazz Icons: Heroes, Myths and the Jazz Tradition by Tony Whyton (review)." Notes 71.1 (2014): 108-112. Read More