1959 · Album
Them Dirty Blues
Recorded 1959 · Riverside Records · Produced by Orrin Keepnews
Getting Down to the Roots of Things
Cannonball strips away the polish and reminds you why the blues matter in jazz.
By the time Cannonball Adderley recorded Them Dirty Blues, he'd already proven himself as a versatile player willing to explore soul jazz and hard bop alongside mainstream sophistication. This album is different though — it's him stepping back and saying: forget the arrangements, forget impressing anybody, let's just play the blues. The title alone tells you the approach. These aren't polished, sophisticated interpretations of blues standards. They're dirty in the best sense, the kind of session where somebody brings in a tune and the band figures it out in the room.
What makes this record distinctive is how straightforward it is compared to his other work from this period. There's no pretense here, no attempts at reinventing the form. Cannonball's alto sax is front and center, warm and direct, occasionally cutting sharp when the moment calls for it. The rhythm section locks in tight, and the whole thing has the feel of musicians who know each other well and trust where they're going. The tunes themselves stay in familiar blues territory — nothing experimental, nothing that requires a musicology degree to understand.
If you're new to Cannonball, this might not be the place to start. Something like Moanin' (1958) gives you a clearer picture of his range and his gift for balancing accessibility with real musicianship. But if you already know his work and want to hear him in a looser, more relaxed mode, this delivers exactly that. It's not trying to be his masterpiece. It's just a good session of straightforward, swinging blues played by people who loved the form.
Who's playing
Sam Jonesdouble bass
Barry Harrispiano
Bobby Timmonspiano
Cannonball Adderleyalto saxophone
Louis Hayesdrums
Nat Adderleycornet
Where next?
More by Cannonball Adderley
Julian "Cannonball" Adderley 1955
Somethin' Else 1958
Bohemia After Dark 1955
Jazz Profile: Cannonball Adderley 1955
The musicians on this record
The Cannonball Adderley Sextet in New York 1962
Nat Adderley
plays cornet here
plays cornet here
Barry Harris at The Jazz Workshop 1960
Barry Harris
plays piano here
plays piano here
