Cannonball Adderley

One of the lesser sessions from Cannonball Adderley's days with Capitol, Domination features arrangements by Oliver Nelson and William Fischer. Recorded in April of 1965, the compositions aren't especially engaging; soul-jazz and hard bop of the period are replaced by a combination of background music, at times sounding like something recorded for a '60s detective television program, with light bossa nova fare and orchestrated easy pop. This is quite a shame considering Joe Zawinul, J.J. Johnson, Clark Terry, and Phil Woods certainly aren't used to their full potential, not to mention Cannonball and brother Nat Adderley. The bonus track, "Experience in E," sounds jarringly out of place in this context, but is nevertheless what makes this reissue interesting. Recorded in 1970 and originally issued on Cannonball Adderley Quintet & Orchestra, this track clocks in at 20 minutes and is the antithesis of the preceding eight compositions. The initial section of the piece finds Cannonball making leaping advances toward the avant-garde with drummer Roy McCurdy egging him on, reminiscent of Coltrane and Elvin Jones. By the second section, the remaining quintet (Nat Adderley cornet, Walter Booker bass, and Joe Zawinul electric piano) have begun to weave in and out, uniting modern classical composition and funk! Adventurous listeners will want this for the bonus track alone. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide