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African Waltz is an album by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, released on the Riverside label and performed by Adderley with an orchestra conducted by Ernie Wilkins.[1] The title track had been a UK hit single for Johnny Dankworth.

African Waltz
Studio album by Cannonball Adderley
Released	1961
Recorded	February 28, May 9 & 15, 1961
Studio	Plaza Sound (New York City)
Genre	Jazz
Length	35:04
Label	Riverside
Producer	Orrin Keepnews
Cannonball Adderley chronology
Know What I Mean? (1961) African Waltz (1961) The Cannonball Adderley Quintet Plus (1961)

Reception

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album three stars and states: "The music on this CD reissue is better than it should be. Cannonball Adderley had a fluke hit with 'African Waltz' so a full album was recorded with the hope of coming up with additional hits... There is some strong material on the set (including 'West Coast Blues', 'Stockholm Sweetnin' ' and a remake of 'This Here') but the results are not too substantial and this was not that big a seller; it is still a reasonably enjoyable effort".[2] The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded the album three stars stating "'A departure from and an extension of what the Adderleys were doing in their small groups. Ernie Wilkins arranges a set of full-bodied top-heavy charts which Adderley has to jostle with to create their own space, and the music's worth hearing for its Sheer Brashness and impact".[3]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	[3]

Track listing

1. "Something Different" (Chuck Mangione) – 3:04
2. "West Coast Blues" (Wes Montgomery) – 4:04
3. "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" (Jerome Kern, Otto Harbach) – 3:02
4. "The Uptown" (Junior Mance) – 2:15
5. "Stockholm Sweetnin'" (Quincy Jones) – 3:41
6. "African Waltz" (Galt MacDermot) – 2:12
7. "Blue Brass Groove" (Nat Adderley) – 4:52
8. "Kelly Blue" (Wynton Kelly) – 3:51
9. "Letter from Home" (Mance) – 2:00
10. "I'll Close My Eyes" (Buddy Kaye, Billy Reid) – 3:42
11. "This Here" (Bobby Timmons) – 3:00 Bonus track on CD

• • Recorded at Plaza Sound Studio, NYC, on February 28 (tracks 6 & 8), May 9 (tracks 1–3, 7, 9 & 11), and May 15 (tracks 4, 5, 10 & 12), 1961.

Personnel

• Cannonball Adderley – alto saxophone
• Nat Adderley, Joe Newman, Ernie Royal, Clark Terry, Nick Travis  – trumpet
• Jimmy Cleveland, George Matthews, Arnett Sparrow, Melba Liston – trombone
• Bob Brookmeyer – valve trombone
• Paul Faulise – bass trombone
• Don Butterfield – tuba
• George Dorsey – alto saxophone, flute
• Oliver Nelson – tenor saxophone, flute
• Jerome Richardson – tenor saxophone, flute, piccolo
• Arthur Clarke – baritone saxophone
• Wynton Kelly – piano
• Sam Jones – bass
• Charlie Persip, Louis Hayes – drums
• Michael Olatunji – congas, bongos
• Ray Barretto – congas
• Ernie Wilkins – arranger

Production

• Orrin Keepnews – Producer
• Ken Deardoff – Album design
• Hugh Bell – Cover photography
• Steve Schapiro – Back-liner photography
• Ray Fowler – Recording engineer
• Riverside Records produced by Bill Grauer Productions, Inc.

References

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