African Waltz is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, released on the Riverside label and performed by Adderley with an orchestra conducted by Ernie Wilkins. The title track had been a UK hit single for Johnny Dankworth.
Reception
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album three stars and states: "The music on this CD reissue is better than it should be. Cannonball Adderley had a fluke hit with 'African Waltz' so a full album was recorded with the hope of coming up with additional hits... There is some strong material on the set (including 'West Coast Blues', 'Stockholm Sweetnin' ' and a remake of 'This Here') but the results are not too substantial and this was not that big a seller; it is still a reasonably enjoyable effort". The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded the album three stars stating "'A departure from and an extension of what the Adderleys were doing in their small groups. Ernie Wilkins arranges a set of full-bodied top-heavy charts which Adderley has to jostle with to create their own space, and the music's worth hearing for its Sheer Brashness and impact".
Track listing
"Something Different" (Chuck Mangione) – 3:04
"West Coast Blues" (Wes Montgomery) – 4:04
"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach) – 3:02
"The Uptown" (Junior Mance) – 2:15
"Stockholm Sweetnin'" (Quincy Jones) – 3:41
"African Waltz" (Galt MacDermot) – 2:12
"Blue Brass Groove" (Nat Adderley) – 4:52
"Kelly Blue" (Wynton Kelly) – 3:51
"Letter from Home" (Mance) – 2:00
"I'll Close My Eyes" (Buddy Kaye, Billy Reid) – 3:42
"This Here" (Bobby Timmons) – 3:00 Bonus track on CD
Recorded at Plaza Sound Studio, NYC, on February 28 (tracks 6 & 8), May 9 (tracks 1–3, 7, 9 & 11), and May 15 (tracks 4, 5, 10 & 12), 1961.
Personnel
Cannonball Adderley – alto saxophone
Nat Adderley, Joe Newman, Ernie Royal, Clark Terry, Nick Travis – trumpet
Jimmy Cleveland, George Matthews, Arnett Sparrow, Melba Liston – trombone
Bob Brookmeyer – valve trombone
Paul Faulise – bass trombone
Don Butterfield – tuba
George Dorsey – alto saxophone, flute
Oliver Nelson – tenor saxophone, flute
Jerome Richardson – tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo
Arthur Clarke – baritone saxophone
Wynton Kelly – piano
Sam Jones – bass
Charlie Persip, Louis Hayes – drums
Michael Olatunji – congas, bongos
Ray Barretto – congas
Ernie Wilkins – arranger
Production
Orrin Keepnews – producer
Ray Fowler – engineer (recording) Ken Deardoff – design Hugh Bell – photography (cover) Steve Schapiro – photography (liner, back)