Chris Sheridan presents a major discographical study of an American jazz giant, Cannonball Adderley, whose career had a significant impact on jazz's development. At the same time, Sheridan stretches the boundaries of discography in two important ways: In scope and in presentation.
In scope, the session listings not only include every known commercially recorded issue—a factor neglected by growing numbers of discographers covering a single artist—but also all known recorded sessions, particularly from film, and broadcasts on radio and television. The latter are providing a quickly growing market for issues on independent record labels, especially by artists no longer alive. The main discographical text also includes a narrative aiming to place the recorded music in context, both in Adderley's own career and in the development of jazz. Sheridan also continues a unique section, pioneered in his earlier Count Basie: A Bio-Discography—the day-by-day diary of the musician's musical activities. This is not only significant in its own right, it also serves to authenticate the chronology of the sessions listed in the main discography. In terms of presentation, Sheridan aims to present a more stylish face by using a variety of related fonts to enhance clarity and by a radical rearrangement of the information given in each session listing. A definitive work essential for all researchers of jazz.
