Pizza Express Live

SHOW'S OVER

Event Has Passed

Last Show: Tuesday 9 ^th November 2021

PizzaExpress Jazz Club (Soho)

This acclaimed project, a loving celebration of the jazz giant (in every sense) Julian ‘Cannnonball’ Adderley has had a unanimous critical reaction: ‘Hard-bop heaven’ (Jazzwise) ‘Breathtaking’ (Northern Sky Mag) ‘Fantastically expressive players … the best gig that I’ve seen at Progress.’ (Jazz In Reading). The band has played to capacity audiences at Ronnie Scott’s, the 606 Club, The Hideaway, The Vortex and many others jazz clubs and out of London, as well as at the Swanage, Southport, Wigan and Ealing Jazz Festivals.

"An absolute blast, one of the most exciting gigs of the year … a brilliant all-round package."

London Jazz News

In May 2020 Tony Kofi’s ‘A Portrait of Cannonball’ released its debut album Another Kind of Soul on vinyl, CD and digital formats by the Last Music Company. It was awarded the Presto Music Award for one of the jazz albums of 2020.

With Andy Davies on trumpet, Alex Webb (piano), Andrew Cleyndert (bass) and Alfonso Vitale (drums) Tony Kofi and the group trace the explosive music of Cannonball from his first session as leader in 1955 through work with Miles Davis to the soul-jazz of the 1960s. The repertoire includes Adderley brothers classics like Things Are Getting Better, Work Song, Del Sasser, Sack o’Woe and many others.

Cannonball Adderley was one of the best-loved figures in post-war jazz. Hailed as ‘the new Bird’ on his emergence, he made historic recordings with Miles Davis and John Coltrane as well as having many crossover hits as a pioneer of soul-jazz. Born Julian Edwin Adderley in Tampa, Florida, on September 15^th 1928, he attended the US Navy School of Music before moving to New York City in the 1950s. Spanning bebop to jazz-funk, he was a unfailingly inventive and communicative virtuoso. He died on August 8, 1975.