Cannonball Adderley is in excellent form on this live date recorded on August 5, 1962, at the International Jazz Festival in Comblain-La-Tour, Belgium. The alto saxophonist fronts an amazing band comprised of brother
Nat Adderley on cornet,
Yusef Lateef on tenor sax and flute,
Joe Zawinul on piano,
Sam Jones on bass, and drummer
Louis Hayes. The five selections include
Lateef's composition "P. Bouk," with tremendous limber interplay between reeds and brass, followed by two favorites from the
Adderley book of the era, "Gemini" and "Work Song."
Lateef picks up the oboe on the traditional blues "Trouble in Mind" and the set is rounded out with "Dizzy's Business," once again showcasing fiery improvisation between the horns.
Cannonball's good-natured stage manner is also on display, with a few off-the-cuff humorous asides. As a weird side note, Beach Party movie heartthrob
Frankie Avalon was also on the bill -- he opened the show!
Cannonball in Europe was originally released on Riverside in 1962, and later reissued by Landmark, but this is the first time the session has appeared on CD.