A is for Adderley
By Adam D. Miller

Most record shops organize music in the same way.  Most of the shop tends to be devoted to pop/rock music, which covers most of the mainstream artists customers tend to be interested in, whether they recorded their music in the 50s or a couple months ago.  Whether you’re looking for The Beach Boys or Megadeth, you’ll find it here.

Within each of these sections, we find artist names sorted alphabetically.  Us record store fiends scale across the wares like a snake, quickly perusing the area marked ‘Clash’ before running down to ‘The White Stripes.’  The pop/rock section is usually pretty thorough.  Generally, every artist you will hope to find will be sectioned off by a white plastic card labeled with their name.

Then there are those smaller sections devoted to other types of music not considered pop/rock by the proprietor.  These usually consist of Rap, Soul/R&B, Classic, Country, Jazz, and Soundtracks. 

I wouldn’t call myself a jazz enthusiast by any means, but as I grow older I find myself getting more into it, particularly the instrumental stuff.  John Coltrane’s My Favorite Things is quickly becoming one of my favorite albums.  So while the pop/rock section is usually my first stop, I like to peruse the jazz section too.

I begin, and find that 80% of the time, Louis Armstrong is the first white card to appear in the jazz section.  Now, I’m not going to take away from Armstrong’s legacy.  He was a talented trumpeter with a distinctive voice and his music has always put a smile on the faces of people, regardless of age, nationality or color.  What bothers me is that Armstrong is not the first jazz musician in alphabetical order.  In fact, there are at least a few jazz musicians that should appear before Armstrong, but seem to have no place in these pop/rock-oriented retailers.

The first of these is Mose Allison.  Allison is something of a jazz pianist/vocalist, though his music encompasses elements of the blues as well.  His music has influenced everyone from Elvis Costello to The Who, and for that reason most certainly should have his place in the jazz sections of all retailers.  And yet, because we must start the jazz section at Ar instead of Al, he’s virtually ignored.  A tragedy, because his music is timeless, with songs like “Your Mind Is On Vaction” and “Everybody’s Cryin’ Mercy” the perfect example of cynical lyricism that Randy Newman would perfect over the following decades.

Another jazz musician that goes ignored is Cannonball Adderley.  Julian “Cannonball” Adderley had been a member of Miles Davis’ band in the 50s, and was included in his pivotal Kind Of Blue album.  A talented saxophonist, Adderley’s music may not be as well known as that of fellow sax players John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, or Ornette Coleman, but it is great music nonetheless, and why his name is absent from most record stores is beyond me.

There are more, of course.  Maybe if record stores would give them their due, more people will have heard of them, or at least pick up one of their CDs to briefly examine before moving onto the usual suspects; Armstrong, Coltrane, Mingus, etc.  I guess I should be glad that I live in a city where the jazz section sometimes occupies an entire floor. 

Perhaps you should call me before you head out to purchase Cannonball Adderley’s Fiddler on the Roof.

 

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