By Tony Gieske
You can’t get much more down home than this: The Nat Adderley Jr. and Longineu Parsons quintet playing the music of Cannonball and Nat Adderley.
At Catalina’s Tuesday night, the young Adderley, who made his bones as the musical director for Luther Vandross, played piano with mucho soul, not to mention deep-seated jazz spirit.
The same attributes were demonstrated by cornetist Parsons and the alto player Diron Holloway. All the more amazing since the two horn men are music professors at Florida A&M. Adderley Jr. holds a degree in African-American Studies from Yale.
Off-campus tonight, the players enthusiastically caught the spirit of such immortal Adderley brothers hits as “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “Work Song” and “This Here.”
Prof. Parsons’ efforts were glistening examples of advanced technique, with a satisfactory echo of cornetist Nat. Prof. Holloway (no relation to tenor man Red Holloway) did not try to evoke the original Nat’s brother Cannonball. He just threw in plenty, plenty soul of his own devising and a bushel of affection too. And of course that did sound like Cannonball.
Nat Jr. brought more than one tide of approbation from the plump, silver-haired assembly as he block-chorded to climax after climax at the piano.
After five or six of the classic charts from the senior generation, propelled with conviction by drummer Roy McCurdy and bassist Trevor Ware, wives and children of the musicians were introduced to the house by Adderley, and he played “Happy Birthday” to one or two of ’em.
Never would have happened at a Miles Davis gig, right?
Photos by Tony Gieske. Read and see more of Tony Gieske’s jazz essays and photos at his personal web site tonyspage.com.
The International Review of Music 
I can still hear that horn playing above all in the days of our high school band. He makes me so proud for him.
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