Cannonball Adderley: Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

During a 1964 Playboy panel discussion, Cannonball Adderley contemplated jazz's economic predicament. "There is an audience out there now, a sizable audience. But you have to play for it." As good as his word, Cannonball never failed to reach an audience with his urbane but populist funk. His biggest hit, recorded boisterously live in 1966, was "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," a deep-dish, down-home gospel tune surprisingly written by Adderley's white pianist. "When Joe plays on a record," said Cannonball, "I defy a layman to determine his race." When Cannonball plays on a record, we defy anyone to resist his grace.