for julian “cannonball” adderley
(1928 –1975)yr chromatic & continuous lines, a cutting
tone & voracious spirit devouring the changes,
like a cannibal [not cannonball] with a fertile
fang in the new hardbop thang got u thru the fifties,
established yr street creds. u couldn’t be the new bird, the
naturally occurring vacuum in those big shoes
nearly sucked the life out of bebop & would not be
filled. but u were u, good enough to replace rollins,
play on the same bandstand with trane, make miles salute yr
talent. but u could not be contained for long in a
group not yr own. so u grabbed yr brother, nat, called on
the great ones who knew u, had played with u, to help u
lay down yr ha' mercy blues-based, soul jazz legacy.
© Joseph McNair;2010
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