Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Scarface, Fat Tony, Ghost Face Killah, when it comes to making a name for yourself, it doesn’t hurt to start with a nickname. After all, you know you have truly arrived when people don’t even know your real name. Take Sting and a guy who goes by The Edge. And when it comes to jazz royalty, does anybody know Duke Ellington as Edward or Count Basie as good, old William? Probably as many who know Cannonball Adderley’s first name.

Although Julian was born on September 15^th 1928 in Tampa, Florida, musically speaking he was given birth and inspired in New York City by the great Charlie “Bird” Parker. But before that all happened he picked up a nickname; not because his alto sax sounded like incoming artillery. In fact, Cannonball is a spin-off of another childhood nickname “Cannibal”, given for his healthy appetite, which held gusto, which can also best describe the way he plays his horn.

Take a listen to the fifth song on his Cannonball Takes Charge. Immediately, “Barefoot Sunday Blues” takes you there. It even sounds like he is walking barefoot while playing his Sunday Blues, which aren’t the blues at all. Monday, maybe, but not Sunday. Carefree, soulful and swinging, what best describes this song is joyful.

Cannonball is one of the few instrumentalists I can readily identify when hearing one of his songs. His musical roots are grounded in gospel and you can hear the notes springing to life in all of his solos. And that’s what this album is: straight Cannonball. No other horns; just Cannonball playing with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers and Percy Heath taking turns on the bass and Jimmy Cobb and Albert “Tootie” Heath passing back and forth the drums. Other than that there’s Cannonball taking charge.