Julian Adderley had been a band director at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale before he made his name in New York, sitting in with Oscar Pettiford's group at the Café Bohemia. Leonard Feather, in the original notes, explains that "Cannonball" began as "cannibal", a nod to his appetite. By early 1958 he was playing alto in Miles Davis's band, and they had just made Milestones for Columbia. Then Davis did something he rarely did after 1955: he turned up on someone else's record as a sideman.
The date was Sunday, March 9, 1958, at Van Gelder's in Hackensack, with Alfred Lion producing. Hank Jones played piano, Sam Jones bass and Art Blakey drums. It is Adderley's name on the cover, but by Feather's account Davis picked most of the tunes, wrote the title track and steered the session. Six tunes were taped; five made the record.
"Autumn Leaves" fills most of side one. Davis told Feather the treatment came from listening to Ahmad Jamal. After a long introduction, Davis states the theme, Adderley follows, and Hank Jones plays an interlude that Davis asked for. Cole Porter's "Love for Sale" opens with Jones alone; Feather thought Adderley's solo here the most typical of him on the album. On side two, Davis's title tune is an unusual 12-bar built on call and response: Davis plays short phrases and Adderley answers them. "One for Daddy-O" is Nat Adderley's blues for the Chicago disc jockey Daddy-O Daylie; at the end you can hear Davis talking to Lion in the booth. The record closes with "Dancing in the Dark", Adderley and the rhythm section without Davis.
"I made him play this," says Miles, "because I remembered hearing Sarah Vaughan do it like this."
Leonard Feather, original liner notes
Feather's verdict on the day was short.
It need hardly be added that Alfred Lion got just what he wanted.
Leonard Feather, original liner notes
The sleeve was designed by Reid Miles, with photography by Francis Wolff.
The one tune left off, Hank Jones's "Bangoon", stayed in the vault until a Japanese Blue Note LP; it was later titled "Alison's Uncle" on reissues. It was Adderley's only album for Blue Note. Within a little over two months the Davis band had recorded "Love for Sale" for itself, "Autumn Leaves" stayed in Davis's book, and in 1959 Davis and Adderley were together again on Kind of Blue.
