Domination

CANNONBALL ADDERLEY (with orchestra arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson)
Domination
Capitol ST 2203

Recorded 26th April 1965
Produced by DAVID AXELROD

Side One

1. Domination
2. Cyclops
3. Introduction To A Samba
4. Shake A Lady

Side Two

1. Interlude
2. Mystified
3. I Worship You
4. Gon Gong

PERSONNEL

Cannonball Adderley; alto saxophone
Nat Adderley; cornet, trumpet
Jimmy Maxwell, Jimmy Nottingham, Clark Terry, Snooky Young; trumpets
Jimmy Cleveland, Willie Dennis, J.J. Johnson; trombones
Don Butterfield; tuba
Marshal Royal, Phil Woods: alto saxophone;
Budd Johnson; tenor saxophone, clarinet, flute
Bob Ashton; tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Danny Bank; baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, flute
Joe Zawinul; piano
Richard Davis (1,2,7,8), Sam Jones (3-6); bass
Grady Tate (1,2,7,8), Louis Hayes (3-6); drums
unknown percussion (3,4,6)

15 horns playing Oliver Nelson arrangements... Sold, to the man from the Daily Jazz. How could anyone fail to like a record that features a line up like this, especially when you consider the identities of both arranger and producer? There's so much to like before you hear it that you'd be forgiven for having my reaction when I first heard about this LP. "Where's the catch?", I thought, "surely it can't be as good as it looks?".

Oh, but it is, and then some. Anyone who knows Oliver Nelson's work with Jimmy Smith will be familiar with the music presented here. Huge stabs of horn serve as a backdrop to some excellent solo blowing by the brothers Adderley. Indeed, they really do come across like brothers here, able to read each others minds through some complicated traded passages, and playing perfectly in unison at breathtaking speed on many tracks. The listener is left gasping for more at the end of each track, so fine is the playing.

The critics don't think much of this, but then they never did like music that was there just for the sheer fun of playing it. You get a real sense of fun here, that everyone was getting right into it. The ecstatic horn bursts of the two frontmen are enough to tell you that.

Unlike some of the albums I review here, this one's actually been released on CD, so you all have no excuse for not getting your hands on this wonderful album.