The Greenville Jazz Collective Jazz Underground series presents saxophonist Evan Jacobi performing a tribute featuring the music and arrangements of the great Julian “Cannonball” Adderley.
To hear the evolution of Cannonball Adderley’s music is to hear the most important threads of a half century of jazz. He came onto the scene in the 1950s deeply rooted in bebop and the blues, and by the time of his passing 20+ years later he had sown some of the seeds for the later evolution of fusion and electronic jazz. Not to mention that in between, he was at the forefront of hard bop, modal jazz, and soul jazz styles.
He was a foundational musician who not only played with Miles Davis on his Kind of Blue album, but was the last musician to have Miles as a sideman on an album. But he also shaped popular tastes as a bandleader with tunes which achieved popularity not only on the jazz charts, but also on pop and R&B charts.
So this will be a great evening of jazz…simultaneously important to hear and a joy to listen to, and aligning perfectly with the mission of the Greenville Jazz Collective! Yet there would be the challenge to find someone to fill the big footsteps of Cannonball for an evening (and you might guess by his nickname that he was indeed a big guy).
It makes total sense for Evan Jacobi to be presenting this tribute, as Cannonball has been a major influence on Evan’s style. Evan and his band will be not just playing tunes associated with Cannonball, they will be playing the arrangements that Cannonball used with his band. You’re unlikely to ever hear such a deep, methodical dive into this important and soulful music…unless you show up at this performance!
They’ll be performing in our venue, the Coffee Underground Theater, which is an intimate listening room which also serves homemade desserts, delicious coffee from beans roasted on premises, and an assortment of teas, wine, and cocktails.
