Cannonball Adderley

Cannonball Adderley played the alto saxophone with a big, bright, blues-drenched sound and a generosity of spirit you could hear in every note. The nickname came from “cannibal,” a schoolboy tease about his appetite, but it suited the playing too – hearty, exuberant, full of life. Few musicians sounded so glad to be playing.

He arrived in New York in the mid-1950s and was quickly hailed as a successor to Charlie Parker, though his feeling was earthier, more rooted in the blues and the church. His great early credential is Kind of Blue: that’s Cannonball’s warm alto alongside Coltrane in Miles Davis’s sextet, a perfect foil to the leader’s cool.

On his own he led one of the most popular small groups in jazz, and he had a real gift for connecting with audiences. He’d talk to the crowd, explain the tunes, make everyone feel let in. His band scored actual hits – “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” crossed over to the pop charts – helping define the funky, accessible style called soul jazz.

Some purists sniffed at the popularity, but Adderley never apologized for wanting to reach people. He believed jazz could be serious and joyful and popular all at once, and he spent his career proving it before dying too young, at 46.