One of the defining players of the 1950s and 1960s hard bop era, Julian Edwin Cannonball Adderley remains one of the most respected and fondly-remembered saxophonists in all of jazz. With a sound that was uniquely his own and a repertoire that saw him support - and in turn be supported by - some of the greatest musicians and groups to emerge during the period, Adderley is the stuff of legend. A huge fan of the playing of Charlie Parker and a fierce defender of the entire genre, Adderley s talents rank highly alongside the likes of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, and his catalogue of work as a bandleader is still today among the finest of any jazz master. Born on 15th September 1928 in Tampa, Florida, Adderley s family relocated to Tallahassee after his parents acquired teaching jobs at Florida A&M University. His father, Julian Sr., was a cornet player, and encouraged the musical talents of Cannonball and his brother Nat from an early age. Nat decided to take after his father by picking up the cornet, whilst Cannonball went for the saxophone, originally migrating towards tenor but learning alto instead due to the rarity of musical instruments during the Second World War. Adderley acquired his nickname during high school, evolving as it did from Cannibal, which he had earned as a result of his voracious appetite. After his graduation, he attended Florida A&M himself, before teaching music at Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950, and posted to a number of locations while playing in bands across the country and studying music at the United States Naval Academy in Washington D.C. His most prominent position during this time was in the 36th Army Band, alongside his brother Nat and trombonist Curtis Fuller. Cannonball and Nat were both simultaneously discharged in the mid-1950s, and they moved to New York. Intending to enrol in graduate music studies at New York University, fate intervened when, while watching a performance by Oscar Pettiford s group at the city s Cafe Bohemia one night, saxophonist Charlie Rouse failed to show. Adderley was asked to sit in and by the end of the evening s performance, his position was permanent. He put together his own band, with Nat in tow, and brought out his debut album in 1955, Presenting Cannonball Adderley (Savoy), which boasted appearances from bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Kenny Clarke. Across the next three years Cannonball followed a rigorous recording schedule, which culminated in one of his most important albums. Somethin Else (Blue Note, 1958), a record that was included in The Penguin Guide to Jazz s Core Collection, and featured one of Miles Davis only appearances on the label, alongside pianist Hank Jones, Sam Jones on bass, and legendary drummer Art Blakey. This collection contains the first eight albums released by Cannonball Adderley as bandleader. Spread over four discs and including both his initial recordings and some of his most highly-acclaimed works, the set forms the perfect introduction to the alto saxophonist and a superb reminder of the man s earliest albums. Containing close to five hours of music in total, this compilation is the finest selection of Adderley s work from this period yet released.