Meeting of the Minds: Cannonball Adderley with Bill Evans - "Know What I Mean?"
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Cannonball Adderley with Bill Evans • Know What I Mean? • 1962 • Riverside
Recorded January 27, February 21 & March 13, 1961 at Bell Sound Studios, NYC
The Tracks:
A1. Waltz For Debby
A2. Goodbye
A3. Who Cares?
A4. Venice
B1. Toy
B2. Elsa
B3. Nancy (with the Laughing Face)
B4. Know What I Mean?
The Players:
Julian “Cannonball” Adderley - Alto Sax
Bill Evans - Piano
Percy Heath - Bass
Connie Kay - Drums
The Music:
Know What I Mean? hits me in all the right spots. Cannonball Adderley and Bill Evans are a couple of my favorite jazz musicians, two cats I discovered very early on some twenty-five years ago when I first became obsessed with jazz music. This album is special for many reasons, but in particular it is one of the rare quartet sessions that Bill Evans would record after 1960. Add to that the fact that Evans and Cannonball are co-leaders on the session, and it’s no surprise that the album is rightfully considered a jazz classic, even if it is a bit of an obscure one.
For the most part the record is a relaxed affair, and the choice of Connie Kay and Percy Heath from the Modern Jazz Quartet as the rhythm section was a stroke of genius. By this point they are masters at filling the space in subtle and complex compositions, a skill honed from their time playing with Milt Jackson and John Lewis in the MJQ. Although this is the only time these four musicians would record together, the symbiosis of their playing is never in doubt, and they tackle the material at hand brilliantly.
From Left: John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis & Bill Evans at the Kind Of Blue sessions (Photo Credit unknown)
Evans brought two tracks to the session: the soon to be classic “Waltz for Debby” (his beloved trio version would also be released in 1962 on the live album Waltz For Debby from the Village Vanguard) and “Elsa”, another jazz waltz that originally appeared on his appeared on his Explorations LP LP a year earlier. Evans also composed the title track - in the studio at Cannonball’s request - a tune that is reminiscent of the modal adventures that Cannonball and Evans played together when they were both members of the Miles Davis Quintet that would record Kind of Blue.
For his part, Cannonball’s playing is nothing short of a revelation for those that know his style well. Showing off his softer side, he often plays in a light and airy fashion, and yet it is unmistakably Cannonball behind it all. The one tune where he and Evans really open up is “Who Cares?” - which is probably my favorite on the album after “Waltz for Debby” - it’s the one burner on the album, a great hard bop tune with some truly inspired soloing by Evans. It really stokes the imagination on what could’ve been if he had chosen to record in an expanded group setting more often.
The Vinyl:
My copy is a first pressing from 1961, I picked it up at a local brick and mortar shop for $55, a fair price considering the rough condition of the cover (the spine required some clear tape repair) and the VG+ condition of the vinyl. Note: the name signed in the top right corner of the back cover may belong to a former owner, but the #32 beneath it throws me off a bit. After a couple cleanings on the Okki Nokki, the vinyl still has some surface noise, but with an album like this with so many quieter passages, that’s gonna be inevitable unless you want to dish out the big bucks for a pristine copy, assuming you can even find a truly NM copy. I’m not thrilled with the cover condition, but I figure if it bothers me enough I can track down a copy online with VG+ cover with beat up vinyl for a good price. For now, I’m fine with it. We are here first and foremost for the music, right?
Like so many other classic jazz titles on Riverside, Know What I Mean? was issued a couple more times in the 1960’s and then not reissued again in the US until the 1980’s when the Original Jazz Classics series appeared. It looks like it was released once in 1974 in Japan on the Milestone label to satisfy the demand for jazz in that market, but other than that the discerning listener who wanted to add it to their collection during that time had to track down a vintage copy to throw on the turntable.
Eagle-eyed readers may notice that there is punch hole in the middle of the cover that extends through the middle of the label on the vinyl (right through the “Riverside” up top) and straight through to the back. I can only surmise that this was the equivalent of the “cutout” records from the following couple decades, either to indicate the record was a promo for radio or for some other non-sale purpose. In any case, it doesn’t interfere with the playback or enjoyment of the record, and even adds a little uniqueness to it, so I am totally cool with it. If anyone knows more about why they did this, or has a similar one in their collection, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.
