Cannonball Adderley : Ballads

The All Music Guide rating for this album on a 1-9 scale (9=best) is: 8

The All Music Guide rating for this album among this artist's works on a 1-9 scale (9=best) is: 8

  Art Blakey - Drums
  Barry Harris - Piano
  Cannonball Adderley - Sax (Alto), Main Performer
  Charles Lloyd - Flute, Sax (Tenor)
  Dom Um Romao - Drums
  Hank Jones - Piano
  Jimmy Cobb - Drums
  Joe Zawinul - Piano
  Louis Hayes - Drums
  Nat Adderley - Cornet
  Octavio Bailly, Jr. - Bass
  Paul Chambers - Bass
  Paulo Moura - Sax (Alto)
  Pedro Paulo - Trumpet
  Roy McCurdy - Drums
  Sam Jones - Bass
  Sergio Mendes - Piano
  Victor Gaskin - Bass
  Wynton Kelly - Piano

Ballads is a lovely collection of Cannonball Adderley 's work on Blue Note from the late '50s to the mid-'60s. Since the nine selections have been taken from nine different albums, the personnel varies widely. The overall mood and approach, however, remain uniform. On 'Now I Have Everything' flutist Charles Lloyd , pianist Joe Zawinul , and cornet player Nat Adderley join in for a short, impressionistic lullaby; on 'Easy Living' pianist Barry Harris , bassist Sam Jones , and drummer Louis Hayes lend their talents to a soulful take on a favorite standard. Adderley 's alto paints in broad, expressionistic colors, wringing just a little more feeling from each note of 'I Worship You' and 'I Can't Get Started.' The mood of pieces like 'Dancing in the Dark' reminds one of a rainy night in a film noir classic, with the lights reflecting against the wet city streets at three a.m. The last cut, the 15-minute 'The Song My Lady Sings,' caps off 55 minutes of quiet, reflective jazz . This low-key exit quietly ebbs and flows as the band fills it with atmosphere to spare. For the unfamiliar, Ballads will serve as relaxed introduction into Adderley 's stunning work; for all others, Ballads will serve as the perfect disc for late-night listening. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide