2024 kicks off with the reissue of Cannonball Adderley & Bill Evans' Know What I Mean? dropping on March 1. Adderley and Evans were famed for being part of the Miles Davis Sextet. But they also worked together on a series of albums, with Know What I Mean? from 1960 being their last and most meaningful collaboration. Cannonball—his nickname a twist on "cannibal," a nod to his healthy appetite—was so compelling as an alto sax that many considered him the next Charlie Parker. Meanwhile, Davis once commented that Evans' piano abilities were a "quiet fire . . . like crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall."
Together, marveled AllMusic, their output on Know What I Mean? is nothing short of "marvelous," adding, "It's hard to imagine any fan of mainstream jazz not finding much to love." (Not surprisingly, both are DownBeat Jazz Hall of Famers.) Critics have been hard-pressed to pick a standout here, but you won't regret starting with the feather-light "Waltz for Debby" and the dexterous, upbeat Gershwin cover, "Who Cares?"
