Nat Adderley

Nat Adderley's early cornet work carried a pronounced Miles Davis imprint while functioning as the ideal foil for brother Cannonball inside their celebrated quintet. For many years the siblings' paths advanced in tandem. Nat first played trumpet in 1946, adopted the cornet in 1950, and served in an Army band from 1951 through 1953. Following a stint alongside Lionel Hampton in 1954-1955, he cut his first record in 1955, entered Cannonball's short-lived 1956-1957 quintet, and later worked with both J.J. Johnson and Woody Herman before rejoining Cannonball in October 1959. On this occasion the ensemble achieved lasting prominence; Nat stayed until Cannonball's passing in 1975, supplying such enduring originals as "Work Song," "Jive Samba," and "The Old Country" together with numerous incisive hard-bop statements. At the height of his abilities during the early to mid-'60s, he mastered solos that exploited the subtone range of the instrument and subsequently fronted his own quintets, most memorably featuring altoists Sonny Fortune in the early '80s and Vincent Herring. Although technical endurance gradually lessened, he kept producing valuable sessions right up to his death on January 2, 2000. A substantial portion of his output for Savoy, EmArcy, Riverside, Jazzland, Atlantic, Milestone, A&M, Capitol, Prestige, SteepleChase, Galaxy, Theresa, In & Out, Landmark, Evidence, Enja, Timeless, Jazz Challenge, and Chiaroscuro remains in circulation today.