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Nat Adderley

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Nat Adderley (1931 to 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer, the younger brother of the saxophonist Julian Cannonball Adderley, with whom he played for years. He was born in Tampa, Florida, and grew up in Tallahassee, where his parents taught at Florida A&M University. His father had played trumpet professionally in his youth and passed his instrument on to Cannonball. When Cannonball switched to alto saxophone, he gave the trumpet to Nat, who began in 1946. In 1950 he switched to cornet. From 1951 to 1953 he was in the army and played in the army band under his brother.

Music and breakthrough

After his service he studied at Florida A&M again, intending to become a teacher. When Lionel Hampton played there, Nat played for him and was invited to join his band, in which he played in 1954 and 1955 and toured Europe. The turning point came in 1955 in New York. At Café Bohemia, where the bassist Oscar Pettiford was playing, Cannonball was allowed to sit in and overwhelmed the musicians. Nat was then also brought on stage, with the same effect. Offers came in and that year he recorded for the first time, with records such as Introducing Nat Adderley and Bohemia After Dark.

Influence

The brothers moved to New York and founded a bop group. Nat wrote Work Song, from 1960, which became a jazz standard and also a success in the pop charts, after Oscar Brown Jr. wrote lyrics for it. His work shows how soulful hard bop in the 1960s also reached an audience outside jazz.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Work Song and notice how the simple, bluesy melody is repeated again and again and the band keeps grooving calmly underneath.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists