With Understanding Comes Appreciation
Somethin' Else is an anomaly in that Miles Davis actually chose to appear as a sideman on another leader's recording date, something he rarely did after the 1940s. No doubt he was trying to prop up his alto saxophonist, Julian Adderley, as a new leader in the world of jazz. He succeeded, but the success truly belongs to Cannonball. This is a stellar album with a one-of-a-kind sophisticated atmosphere, and contains one of my favorite takes on the ubiquitous standard "Autumn Leaves." Oddly for a Cannonball record this one features no original tunes by him or his brother, Nat. Also oddly for a Cannonball record, this one does not feature Nat. Stylistically, this serves as a sort of prelude to Kind of Blue in its contemplative attitude. One of the top 20 jazz LP's of all time, I'd say.
Cannonball Adderley gave up his own band in 1957 when he had the opportunity to become a sideman in Miles Davis' epic ensemble with John Coltrane, eventually resulting in some of the greatest jazz recordings of all time (including Milestones and Kind of Blue). Davis returned the favor in March of 1958, appearing as a sideman on Adderley's all-star quintet date for Blue Note, and the resulting session is indeed Somethin' Else. Both horn players are at their peak of lyrical invention, crafting gorgeous, flowing blues lines on the title tune and "One for Daddy-O," as the rhythm team (Hank Jones, Sam Jones, Art Blakey) creates a taut, focused groove (pianist Hank Jones' sly, intuitive orchestrations are studies of harmonic understatement). Adderley's lush, romantic improvisation on "Dancing in the Dark" is worthy of Charlie Parker or Johnny Hodges, while the band refurbishes "Autumn Leaves" and "Love for Sale" into cliché-free swingers. And "Alison's Uncle" puts a boppish coda on Somethin' Else, one of the most gloriously laid-back blowing sessions of the hard bop era.
Cannonball Adderley's Somethin' Else featuring Miles Davis and Art Blakey is one of the acclaimed jazz albums that lives up to the hype. Released by Blue Note in 1958, the year before Davis' Kind of Blue, the album brings the clash of styles between Davis and Adderley to the fore. The music has a restrained, yet also exuberant feel, which could be attributed to the different styles of Adderley and Davis. Adderley's playing was rooted in the blues and hard bop school, whereas Miles Davis was one of progenitors of cool jazz, a sub-genre often racialized as "white" and lacking the strong grooves and blues influences of hard bop. Interestingly, the inherent clash in their styles is probably what makes this album so good. Moreover, most of the sidemen on this recording follow the hard bop tradition, yet they play in the subdued, restrained style, limiting themselves to rhythm for the most part. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Miles Davis co-led the recording session, evidenced by the title track being composed by Miles Davis and several of the numbers and arrangements were chosen by Davis.