js In the mid-60s, right before the whole electric jazz rock fad broke, there was an energetic style of hard bop that was picking up a pronounced driving back beat from the world of RnB and rock. Eddie Harris, Les McCann, Gene Harris and the Adderly brothers were all masters of this proto jazz-rock style that mixed the groovy swing of jazz with the driving aggression of the new rock sound. Acoustic instruments were still the norm at this time, meaning that the more earthy elements in the music were not buried under rock star volume. Cannonball Adderly’s “Mercy Mercy Mercy” is a fine lively live set in this tradition and if you enjoy Eddie Harris classics like “Freedom Jazz Dance” and “Cold Duck Time”, you’ll find a lot to like here.

I wouldn’t say that the two Adderly brothers are underrated, they have received a lot of accolades over the years, but maybe they need more recognition, I rarely hear a bum song, much less a bum album from either of these two. Every song on here is great, but the band really hits their stride on “Sticks”, a high octane “rocker” that features blistering solos from both Cannonball on alto sax and Nat on the cornet. The relaxed version of their big hit, pianist Joe Zawinul’s “Mercy Mercy Mercy”, sounds almost obligatory, but the rest of the album burns with fresh and inspired energy.

darkprinceofjazz Cannonball Adderley's Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! was His biggest selling album, and contained the Biggest chart hit of his career with the title track, Joe Zawinul's "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", going all the way to #11, the track is probably my least favorite on the album, but I do like it, Zawinul uses the Wurlitzer electric piano, on later recordings he used the Fender Rhodes piano which has a more subdued sound, it is a nice breather from the raucous soul jazz that bookends the track.

The album was not actually recorded live at "The Club" as the jacket exclaims, That was just a stunt to give some pub to a new night club of a friend of Cannonball's, It was actually a studio date in front of an invited audience at Capitol's Los Angeles studios, Producer David Axelrod set the mood of the recording with a calculated risk, He passed out as many free drinks as the crowd wanted, and of course the crowd responds in the usual fashion, They scream and go nuts at times, I think it really pushed the band to heights maybe not attainable in a studio setting. Axelrod gambled and won big on this recording, The music is essentially high quality hard bop with soul jazz undertones, but the music is very hot at times, If your toes don't tap on this music, you might be a lost cause, the atmosphere really draws you in, and it takes you along for the ride.

Nat Adderley's "Fun" and "Games" are fantastic soul jazz workouts that lead the album off, Nat really plays some mean trumpet on this date as well, Cannonball's "Hippodelphia" is a little more complex, and his "Sack O' Woe" 10 minutes in length, Brings the album to a close, at the end of it all the crowd is so fired up, that they probably had to keep them locked in the studio to let em dry out a bit, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! is a prefect example of Cannonball Adderley's music in the Mid 60's. Cannonball Adderley died in 1975 at the age 46, a sad loss indeed, I have yet to hear a bad Cannonball Adderley album, even some of his more commercial stuff from the early 70's is of high quality.

At the end of the day, the thing that stands out the most to me, is the atmosphere, a David Axelrod studio creation, he deserves a lot of the credit for the vibe of the music and for probably pushing the performers to a higher level otherwise.