African Waltz is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, released on the Riverside label and performed by Adderley with an orchestra conducted by Ernie Wilkins.Cannonball Adderley discography accessed 2 November 2009 The title track had been a UK hit single for Johnny Dankworth.
Reception The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album three stars and states: "The music on this CD reissue is better than it should be. Cannonball Adderley had a fluke hit with 'African Waltz' so a full album was recorded with the hope of coming up with additional hits... There is some strong material on the set (including 'West Coast Blues', 'Stockholm Sweetnin' ' and a remake of 'This Here') but the results are not too substantial and this was not that big a seller; it is still a reasonably enjoyable effort".Yanow, S. [ Allmusic Review] accessed 19 October 2009 The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded the album three stars stating "'A departure from and an extension of what the Adderleys were doing in their small groups. Ernie Wilkins arranges a set of full-bodied top-heavy charts which Adderley has to jostle with to create their own space, and the music's worth hearing for its Sheer Brashness and impact".
Track listing "Something Different" (Chuck Mangione) – 3:04 "West Coast Blues" (Wes Montgomery) – 4:04 "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach) – 3:02 "The Uptown" (Junior Mance) – 2:15 "Stockholm Sweetnin'" (Quincy Jones) – 3:41 "African Waltz" (Galt MacDermot) – 2:12 "Blue Brass Groove" (Nat Adderley) – 4:52 "Kelly Blue" (Wynton Kelly) – 3:51 "Letter from Home" (Mance) – 2:00 "I'll Close My Eyes" (Buddy Kaye, Billy Reid) – 3:42 "This Here" (Bobby Timmons) – 3:00 Bonus track on CD Recorded at Plaza Sound Studio, NYC, on February 28 (tracks 6 & 8), May 9 (tracks 1–3, 7, 9 & 11), and May 15 (tracks 4, 5, 10 & 12), 1961.
Personnel Cannonball Adderley – alto saxophone Nat Adderley, Joe Newman, Ernie Royal, Clark Terry, Nick Travis – trumpet Jimmy Cleveland, George Matthews, Arnett Sparrow, Melba Liston – trombone Bob Brookmeyer – valve trombone Paul Faulise – bass trombone Don Butterfield – tuba George Dorsey – alto saxophone, flute Oliver Nelson – tenor saxophone, flute Jerome Richardson – tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo Arthur Clarke – baritone saxophone Wynton Kelly – piano Sam Jones – bass Charlie Persip, Louis Hayes – drums Michael Olatunji – congas, bongos Ray Barretto – congas Ernie Wilkins – arranger
Production Orrin Keepnews – producer Ray Fowler – engineer (recording) Ken Deardoff – design Hugh Bell – photography (cover) Steve Schapiro – photography (liner, back)
References