Search - Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans :: Know What I Mean

Great Combo Playing Great Jazz

Fly By Light | Atlanta, Georgia | 01/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a fascinating collaboration. The result is far more rewarding than words can convey. Adderly is playing neither at his most blazing, or his most edgy; rather, he just lays back, relaxes and has fun singing out on some fairly straight-forward, cheerful standards. He occasionally lets his "Charlie Parker" show, but his performance is mostly "engaging". It's also technically wonderful, but the joy of the performance is what holds you.



Adderly shows his typical generosity with his guest musician. Bill Evans is just a few months removed from his legendary Village Vanguard performance. He might as well be hours away - his intriguing voicings and sparse accompaniments are very identifiable. However, he is not constantly trading off licks with the bass player like he did with his regular bassist Scott LaFaro; he has more room to work when it's his turn to solo, so his playing is busier than when he plays with his LaFaro trio. Evans fans may miss LaFaro, but it is a rare treat to hear Evans do all the heavy lifting when it's his turn to solo (at least in this stage of his career).



As a Bill Evans fan, I'm already covered up in "Waltz for Debby" renditions and thought this track would be a throw-away, especially since I have not been enamored with horn parts on the song. What a surprise - this version has quickly become my favorite version of the song and is one of my favorite cuts on the CD.



As a final note, the recording is "just right" here. There is a nice sense of space on this record that puts the listener right in the middle of things. The mix allows everyone to be heard clearly and stands out precisely because it is completely transparent.



These guys can play circles around just about anyone, but because they don't let their technique overtake the music here and let the fun show through, this is a very successful recording as a result.

"

Very nice jazz album - it swings!

Saxman | PA, USA | 02/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been listening to Jazz heavily for years now, but I just checked out "Know What I Mean?" by Cannonball recently. I don't know why I've waited so long to actually listen to this album, but it was worth the wait. The group just plays so well together and with Cannonball and Evans fresh from their working with Miles it's nice to hear how well they play together. The rest of the rhythm team - Percy Heath on bass and Connie Kay on drums - work very well together from their working with the Modern Jazz Quartet. It's just top notch jazz -- while I'd love to hear Bill Evans stretch a bit more his statements are very nice. His Village Vanguard recordings from the same year is a great example of the best jazz interplay, this group maintains a different type of interplay (not better or worse just different) with Bill (and Cannonball) responding to the rock solid rhythm. If you neglected to check this one out, like I did, now is the time to check it out!

"