Cannonball Adderley Quintet: Cannonball Adderley (soprano & alto saxophones); Nat Adderley (cornet); Joe Zawinul (keyboards); Walter Booker (bass); Roy McCurdy (drums).
Additional personnel: Rev. Jesse Jackson (spoken vocals).
Recorded live in Chicago, Illinois in October 1969. Includes liner notes by Julian Cannonball Adderley.
Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's 1969 album COUNTRY PREACHER is not only one of his best works but one of the pinnacles of the entire soul-jazz movement. Though Yusef Lateef, Herbie Mann, Jimmy Smith, and others made outstanding records in this under-appreciated sub-genre, COUNTRY PREACHER is the album that delivers all of the strengths of soul jazz with few of its weaknesses.
A stellar combo, featuring Adderley's cornetist brother Nat, standout electric pianist Joe Zawinul, and the killer rhythm section of bassist Walter Booker and drummer Roy McCurdy, gives Adderley's alto--and, unusually for him, soprano--sax just the sort of groove-oriented, percussive setting his hard-edged and intense sound needs. The gospel-based titled track is wonderful, but "Afro-Spanish Omelet," a medley of Caribbean-style workouts, is one of the highlights of Adderley's entire career.
