Julian "Cannonball" Adderley and
Nat Adderley are both legendary names in jazz now, but when the material on these two discs was recorded in 1955, they were newcomers on the New York jazz scene. These 21 tracks were originally released on three separate LPs: the first as Bohemia After Dark (with drummer
Kenny Clarke billed as leader), the second under
Cannonball's name as Spontaneous Combustion, and the third titled That's Nat. This reissue leaves the tracks in the same order as that found on the original LPs (with the addition of several alternate takes). The playing is stupendous, and
Cannonball's alto sax is particularly reminiscent of
Charlie Parker at the peak of his powers.
Cannonball and
Nat's compositions, especially the very boppish "Chasm" and the bluesy "Hear Me Talkin' to Ya" simultaneously hark back to and expand the bebop tradition in a way that would lead directly to the hard bop sound of
Art Blakey and others. On his solo date,
Nat's trumpet style is a bit more individualized than
Cannonball's alto; his tone is sweet, his phrasing fluid. The packaging is attractive and there are excellent liner notes. Highly recommended. ~ Rick Anderson