African Waltz


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 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

  1. "Something Different" – 3:04
  2. "West Coast Blues" – 4:04
  3. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" – 3:02
  4. "The Uptown" – 2:15
  5. "Stockholm Sweetnin'" – 3:41
  6. "African Waltz" – 2:12
  7. "Blue Brass Groove" – 4:52
  8. "Kelly Blue" – 3:51
  9. "Letter from Home" – 2:00
  10. "I'll Close My Eyes" – 3:42
  11. "This Here" – 3:00 Bonus track on CD
Production