Richie Cole Cannonball

Richie Cole
Cannonball
Richie Cole Presents

Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley is the veteran alto saxophonist Richie Cole's favorite alto sax player, and this new recording is Cole's homage to the legendary Adderley. Cole leads an ensemble drawn from his home base in Pittsburgh, including Cole's frontline partner on "Cannonball," trombonist Reggie Watkins who is a surrogate for cornetist Nat Adderley. Tenor saxophonist Rick Matt and trumpeter J.D. Chaisson, are present four of the album's 13 tracks, while guitarist Eric Susoeff, keyboardist Kevin Moore, bassist/producer Mark Perna, and drummer Vince Taglieri fill out the rhythm section. There are a dozen songs associated with Adderley along with a Cole original "Bell of the Ball," dedicated to Adderley.

Highlights include Bobby Timmons' "Dat Dere," with Cole preaching here, and a stunning "Matchmaker, Matchmaker," with Cole alludes to Coltrane's "Moment's Notice" in his solo. There is the driving "Jeannine" with the full horn section followed by a relaxed treatment of "Jive Samba." Cole's original, "Bell of the Ball," has the feel of an unrecorded Adderley tune, while "Sack o' Woe" has a guest appearance from former Horace Silver drummer, Roger Humphries.

While Scott Yanow's liner notes suggests turning "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" into a swinging number is innovative, these ears found this transformation not very convincing. Much more satisfying is a bossa nova accented rendition of Buddy Johnson's classic ballad, "Save Your Love For Me," warmly sung in Portuguese by Kenia. Cole and Watkins play sublimely on this performance that guitarist Susoeff arranged. After a barnstorming rendition of Sam Jones "Unit 7," the album closes a bonus track of Kenia singing "Save Your Love For Me" in English.

Cole and his ensemble may not play with the bite of Adderley's original recordings, but how many musicians have the force of nature presence Adderley and band had including a terrific rhythm section that included bassist Sam Jones and drummer Louis Hayes. Still, these are extremely enjoyable performances with excellent solos and a first-rate backing band.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2018  Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 381) to which a few minor changes have been made. Here is a video promoting this recording.