Julian "Cannonball" Adderley
Alto Sax Solo on
So What

About

Closing out the solo section, this alto sax improvisation spans two choruses of the 32-bar AABA form at a medium swing tempo of 139 BPM. Julian "Cannonball" Adderley closes the solo sequence with two alto saxophone choruses that bring a soulful, bluesy warmth, his ebullient style providing a counterpoint to the more introspective approaches of Davis and Coltrane. The 32-bar AABA form, a staple of the Great American Songbook, offers both structural clarity and ample harmonic terrain for improvisation. Coming after John Coltrane's tenor sax solo, this is the final improvisation before the ensemble returns to the head.

Julian "Cannonball" Adderley was 30 to 31 years old at the time.