• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Website of Steve Neff

  • BLOG
  • SHOP
  • MY ACCOUNT
  • RAVES
  • CONTACT

Search Neffmusic

You are here: Home / Reviews / Book Reviews / The Cannonball Adderley Omnibook Review

The Cannonball Adderley Omnibook Review

August 19, 2018 by Steve 6 Comments

Today, I am reviewing the Cannonball Adderley Omnibook that is published by Hal Leonard.  This great book of transcriptions was created by Chris “Doc” Stewart who also transcribed the Sonny Rollins Omnibook that I reviewed earlier in the year. I bought this book after receiving a gift card from a student of mine. I went online to see what I could get with it and when I saw the title “Cannonball Adderley Omnibook”,  I clicked on “Buy Now” immediately without a second thought as I have been a huge Cannonball fan since I was a kid.

Before I get into the book, let me just say what a force of nature Julian “Cannonball” Adderley was.  I remember first hearing him on an album I got from the library when I was in high school.  I don’t remember what that album was (Pretty sure it was either “Somethin’ Else or Live in San Francisco”) but I remember being blown away by what I heard.  Until that point in time, all I had listened to for alto players was Jay Beckenstein, Charlie Parker, Dave Sanborn and Hank Crawford.   These are all vastly different players with different styles.  When I first heard Cannonball I was mesmerized by the fact that he seemed to fuse incredible bebop lines similar to Charlie Parkers with the tough emotive bluesy sounds that I loved in the playing of Dave Sanborn and Hank Crawford.  I was in love!

That being said, for whatever reason I always found Cannonball much harder to understand than many other players I was listening to.  Although Charlie Parker blew my mind,  I kind of understood what he was doing and thinking harmonically. (Not that I could do it……)  With Cannonball there was so many added elements to his solos that it was hard to focus on what he was actually playing.

  • First, there were all these bluesy bends, trills, growls and falls to try to figure out.
  • Secondly, Cannonball loved to play with the time.  One measure he is laying behind the beat and the next he is playing on top of the beat.  (I remember trying to transcribe a Cannonball line in high school and for the life of me I could not figure out how to write out the rhythms of it.)
  • Thirdly, Cannonball’s articulation and accents were so varied and unpredictable that it was hard for me to figure out what he was articulating and accenting.
  • Fourthly, Cannonball’s understanding of harmony was no joke!  At times he sounds so bluesy and simple but when you start transcribing the lines you see all sorts of “genius” notes being played over the harmony. Although he could play the tar out of the blues scale, Cannonball had total freedom on the changes.

The Cannonball Adderley Omnibook

Another thing I remember thinking when I listened to Cannonball, was the authority with which he played.  I still think that to this day.  When I hear recordings with Miles playing a solo followed by Coltrane, Cannonball then comes in like he owns the place.  His tone is clear and fat. His energy is focused and alive.  There is an electricity in his sound and playing that is unique to “Cannonball” in my mind.  I couldn’t wait to dig into this transcription book!!

The Cannonball Adderley Omnibook is created with the same standard of excellence as the other Hal Leonard Omnibooks.  It is coil bound so it is easy to open on a music stand and it stays open and flat when you are reading from it.  The coils are big enough that it is easy to change the pages quickly on the fly.  The book is  264 pages long and has 49 solos in it.  Here is the complete list:

The Cannonball Adderley Omnibook Song List

Ah-Leu-Cha, Azule Serape, Batida Diferente, Blue Funk, Cannonball, Country Preacher, Del Sasser, Easy To Love (You’d Be So Easy To Love) (from BORN TO DANCE), Fiddler On The Roof (from the Musical FIDDLER ON THE ROOF), Groovy Samba, Hi-Fly, Hoppin’ John, Hurricane Connie, I Remember You (from the Paramount Picture THE FLEET’S IN), I’m On My Way, Introduction To A Samba, Jeannine, Love For Sale (from THE NEW YORKERS), Marabi, Milestones, Minority, Oleo, On Green Dolphin Street, Once I Loved (Amor Em Paz) (Love In Peace), One For Daddy-O, People Will Say We’re In Love (from OKLAHOMA!), Poor Butterfly, Porky, Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (Corcovado), Rumple Stiltskin, Sack Of Woe, Scotch and Water, Seventy Four Miles Away (74 Miles Away), So What, Somethin’ Else, Spectacular, Spontaneous Combustion, Stardust, Straight No Chaser, The Theme (The Scene), Things Are Getting Better, This Here, Toy, Unit 7, Waltz For Debby, What Is This Thing Called Love? (from WAKE UP AND DREAM), Who Cares? (So Long As You Care For Me) (from OF THEE I SING), Work Song, You Got It

*I will add that sometimes you have to do some searching and research to find each version of these songs.  Most of them can be found on Youtube.  One example is “You Got It” which is from the 1959 recording “The Quintet in San Francisco”.   I have that album but when I played “You Got It” the solo was different.  I was a bit confused but when I started searching Youtube,  I found out that there were alternate takes of this song.  The transcription doesn’t say it is an alternate take however.

 

The Cannonball Adderley Omnibook

The first thing I noticed about the Cannonball Adderly Omnibook is that Chris “Doc” Stewart went above and beyond in the details included in these transcriptions.  In many of the transcriptions, there are trumpet lines by Miles included, piano lines (many with the voicing written out), bass cues, three part harmony lines when there are three parts in the melody such as when Cannonball is playing with Miles and Coltrane.  During the rests it tells you what instrument is soloing or if there is trading fours with drums going on.  All of these specifics make it so much easier to find where you are in the transcriptions.

Another great feature is that the tunes are included on every transcription.  Many transcriptions these days only include the solos because of copyright limitations but Hal Leonard has included these great melodies and written them out in detail.

There are a ton of articulation markings throughout each solo to help with how to play these solos like Cannonball.  As I look through the book I see all sorts of, slurs, accents, staccato markings, ghost notes, grace notes, scooped notes, etc…….

It is also obvious that Chris “Doc” Stewart did not just fill in the known chords of each tune over the transcriptions but added the details of the chords even when there were alterations or substitutions.  You can easily see this as you look through each tune and compare the chords of each chorus. Many times there are differences in each chorus as you compare chords.  This is a cool feature for those of us interested in the harmonies going on behind these solos.

I’ve read a few reviews online that seemed pretty hard on this book. They were basically complaining that there were too many details included in the book and it makes it harder to read.  Although I can understand that opinion, I also think it is cool to see all these added details.  To see the harmony lines written in that Miles played might make it a little harder to read but how cool is it to see Miles’s line written out in the music over the alto sax line?  All the accents, bends, slurs, falls, etc…..make it harder to read but the transcriber is trying to accurately capture what he is hearing Cannonball playing on the recordings.

The bottom line is that what Cannonball is playing is hard!  If you take a look through the book, most of the solos are at 200+ tempos.  Cannonball is playing fast with all sorts of articulations, rhythms, bends, falls, scoops, etc……..It’s not easy to capture all of these details on a transcription.  I for one, am glad Chris “Doc” Stewart has attempted to capture as much as he has on these pages.

The one element of the book layout that I wish was different,  is that the key signature is only on the first line of each page.  I understand why this was done for the sake of giving more space to the notes, but when I was reading the transcription many times I would forget the key signature, look at the beginning of the line and think it was in C.  I would then remember that the key signature is at the top of the page and have to look up there.  It’s not a big deal but just something I have to remember when reading the music.

There is so much more I could write about,  I truly am in love with Cannonball’s playing and what is captured on these pages in this book!  It is just a plethora of incredible bop lines, licks, phrasings and melodic ideas that can be worked on for a lifetime.  Amazing work by Chris “Doc” Stewart!!  I would have loved to have this book on my stand next to the Charlie Parker Omnibook when I was a kid!

Great job by Hal Leonard in creating another great Omnibook in their collection that includes John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Marsalis, Joe Pass, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and now Cannonball Adderley.  You can get the book from Amazon at the links below.

Cannonball Adderley Omnibook-Eb Instruments

Cannonball Adderley Omnibook-Bb Instruments

Cannonball Adderley Omnibook-C Instruments

 

If you end up getting the Cannonball Adderley Omnibook please feel free to come back and share your thoughts and comments with all of us below.  If you have other thoughts about Cannonball, I would love to hear them also.  Thank you to Cannonball Adderley for who you were and your amazing contribution to this music.   Now, I’m going to work on the “Spontaneous Combustion” and “Stardust” solos a bit……..   Thanks,   Steve

Disclosure: Hal Leonard did not send me this book to review but I purchased it with a gift card that I received from a student of mine. If you purchase the book from any of the Amazon links above I will make a small commission that I will use to support this site. Regardless, I only review saxophone related products that I enjoy and believe will be good for other saxophone players to try also. Steve

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: alto sax solos, Alto Saxophone, Cannonball Adderley, Chris "Doc" Stewart, Hal Leonard, Omnibook, review

Steve

About Steve

Steve Neff has been playing and teaching saxophone and jazz improvisation around the New England area for over 30 years. He is the author of many best selling jazz improvisation methods as well as founding the popular jazz video lesson site Neffmusic.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarRobert Payne says

    September 1, 2018 at 9:23 pm

    Thanks for the heads up on this book, Steve. I’ve been a fan of Adderley for a long time now. The Miles Davis band with Coltrane and Adderley has to be one of my favorite all-time small groups, I consider it to be maybe the best ever. There’s just something special about it, maybe it’s the contrast between the players that helps make it so special. There’s this element of excitement, of pent-up energy, of expectation, that makes this group so special. Also it is my favorite type of jazz, just straight ahead and no BS. So thanks again for the great review. I’ll be sure to get a copy of this book. Cannonball is another one of those true originals who continues to inspire.

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      September 2, 2018 at 10:09 am

      Rob, I agree about Miles with Coltrane and Cannonball! I think you nailed it about the contrast. Each player’s tone and concept is so different and individual that it is so compelling and interesting to listen to………Steve

      Reply
  2. AvatarRoy Esteven says

    September 23, 2019 at 12:45 am

    In the past, Doc Stewart was selling Cannonball transcription books by year. I used to have the 1959 book, but it got destroyed in a flood. Doc Stewart’s website seems to be offline, at least as of this writing (cannonballjazz.com). Therefore, I have not been able to replace it. Have you heard if anything has happened to Doc Stewart or if he plans on selling his transcription books again? BTW, I do have the Cannonball omnibook and like it very much. Thanks for your review!

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      September 23, 2019 at 9:47 am

      Roy, No I haven’t, sorry. Maybe Doc Stewart will see this and chime in. What a treasure all those transcription would be. I’m also thinking of all those Andrew White John Coltrane transcriptions. You can’t really find them anywhere. How awesome would it be to buy a huge book of all of those! Steve

      Reply
  3. AvatarRoy Esteven says

    September 23, 2019 at 8:09 pm

    Steve: I actually got an answer from Chris Stewart regarding his Cannonball transcription books by year (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzi6eME9180 – read reply to comment by BebopEngineer). Basically, he made an agreement with Hal Leonard not to sell them. However, he says he may start making them available for free. I hope he is able to do this for, at least, the solos that aren’t in the omnibook.

    Reply
    • SteveSteve says

      September 24, 2019 at 9:38 am

      Roy, That’s great to hear! I understand him not being able to sell the solos in the book but I’m surprised he would have to stop selling all the other solos! That would be awesome if they were free! Thanks, Steve

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Cart

Subscribe to the Neffmusic Newsletter for the latest reviews and best deals delivered straight to your inbox every month. Join now and you will also receive my 40 Ultimate Michael Brecker Licks free!

Select list(s) to subscribe to


Thanks for joining!


NEFFMUSIC PRINTED BOOKS

Testimonials

Steve, just a note to say thanks.

I’ve been playing a long time, but your material, laid out in such a thoughtful way, helps me to understand concepts in a new and deeper way.

You are a true gift to the jazz community.

60 lessons and going strong,

Kevin Ledbetter

Kevin Ledbetter
Thank you for all the educational information you provide.  I am a classically trained musician.  Professionally, I am a 4th and 5th grade band teacher.  I have played piano and sax for many years, but now I am starting to gig out more. I have always improvised by ear in the past. I have gotten by with my strong sense of pitch, rhythm and melodic contour. However, I want to go deeper. I want to play with a greater variety of melodic and rhythmic ideas to pull from.  I have studied to gain a … Read more
Ray
I am enjoying your style of teaching, and you’ve done a great job with the videos….good sound quality and well constructed lessons.  Balances the more guitaristic material found on the majority of guitar based programs.  Jazz vocab is what I’m all about at this point in the journey.   I especially dig the fact that you’ve studied with Bergonzi…helps me see his voluminous output in a more  bite sized way.
Milton

Never really had lessons before just kinda worked things out on my own. Was in a rut but your lessons are really helpful in opening melodic possibilities. Ur an awesome resource to the saxophone community. Thanks for sharing. 

Anthony
I would like to say that in the last year my sax playing has progressed loads from your lessons. I have had a sax for about 20 years and dabbled with lessons from a few teachers and have learnt very little from them. As you have said in your lessons many teachers tell you to use the blues scale and leave it there, not even showing you the resolution points!!. I am now believing I can in time become a good improviser.
Thanks again,
Shane
Shane
Hi Steve, I can’t express just how much I appreciate your teaching. My playing has improved so much over the past year since I have been studying and practicing with your lessons. It is possible to teach an old dog new tricks, these lessons are proof! Thanks, Michael Byington
Michael Byington
I’ve been downloading your lessons for 4 months now (20 lesson) and I have noticed tremendous growth in my playing thus far! I’m so happy that I stumbled upon your site!
Bob
Hey Steve, I’m a 22-year-old from Australia. I thought it would be worth saying. You’re an absolute legend. I can’t thank you enough. You have helped me rekindle my love for the saxophone and music as a whole. All the best for the future, your work doesn’t go unnoticed. PS. I am loving your devastating minor lines pdf.
Sapph
Two years later I began a search for a sax teacher and happened to come across Steve Neff when I was searching YouTube for sax teachers.  I went to neffmusic.com and was very impressed with the lessons Steve Neff was offering.  The concept of selecting lessons was an approach that I thought was unique and purchased a few lessons.  I liked the lessons so much that I signed-up for a 6 month package. I was very happy with all the lessons I selected.  I also purchased Steve’s book Mastering the B… Read more
Michael
I’ve been a member of Steve’s site for about six months now and the difference it has made to my playing is immeasurable. The (many) benefits of this membership are that you can have lessons at time convenient to you, they work out A LOT cheaper than face-to-face lessons with a teacher of the same calibre and you can replay them ad infinitum. I don’t know how many times have I had lessons in the past where I’ve ended up covering the same concepts when really a ‘replay’ of the last lesson would h… Read more
Nick

Steve,

I have played for many years and have enjoyed going “back to the basics” in some of your lessons!  You have such a gift for explaining concepts.  As I have gotten older, some of the basic things have gotten muddled because I just play, not knowing why.  As I refresh myself with “why”, it increases my confidence and expands my playing.  Thank you so much for using your gift!  You are a blessing!

Julia

Hello Steve,

I just want to say thank you so much for your unbelievable work, it is just mind opening, thanks for sharing it.

Wolfgang from Berlin

Wolfgang from Berlin
I want to say something about Steve Neff’s series of lessons, Beginner Jazz Improvisation. For a couple of years I tried many beginner lessons and my problem was that there was a gap between lessons that were fairly simple and ones that I was not quite ready for and my progress stalled out. That problem was solved with the series Beginner Jazz Improvisation. He guides you step by step along the way and builds a foundation for learning jazz and blues. He leaves no question about what to practice … Read more
Pete

Hi Steve,

First, I want to thank you for all of your great lessons. They are like a “For Dummies” version of all the books on my shelf. The lessons break things down into manageable pieces, and give me the confidence that I’m practicing the right pieces. I’m starting to make progress.   Thank You,   Kim

Kim
Just wanted to send you a quick note to say thank you for being you, your playing, your website and your desire to help others. I’m a professional musician in the US Army and I’ve visited your website almost every day since discovering it a couple of months ago. Your lessons are profound and easy to use. I’ve purchased most of your PDF books and now am starting to delve more into the video and audio lessons.  Thank you for being a great resource!
James
First, I’m really excited about your materials! This site is a vast resource for any aspiring (and maybe already inspired) jazz musicians. I’m not a sax player, I play mandolin and fiddle, but have been learning jazz and playing weekly with a quintet for the past 6 months and have been struggling with all of the issues you get into in your lessons. I bought several books and lessons and plan to continue with some others as soon as I organize my practice routine. Thanks again for a great site … Read more
Tony Galfano

I want to thank you for your “Ultimate II-V-I Primer”  which has sent me off on a much better path to improvisation.  The primer and the four bound books I have will keep me busy for a long time.  I like your lessons for two reasons.  The lessons work and THEY ARE FUN.  Thanks again.

Robert

Robert
I’ve been having ‘ online’  lessons with Steve for a few months now. Being a teacher myself I had had some reservations with the idea at first and the practicalities of it .  Let me just say that my playing has taken a huge leaps forward while studying with Steve and continues to do so.Steve studied with some renowned player/teachers such as Bergonzi and Garzone– this in itself is invaluable but Steve teaches from his own books, which cover a a vast amount of  jazz language. Steve h… Read more
David
Your lessons on playing the blues is so clear . I have been through many books on blues playing and not one of them explains as clear as your lessons . Most of them say “Play the same blues scale over all three chords of a 12 bar blues ” Its very misleading .     Thanks
Martin

I want to thank you again, because, not only are you an inspiration to listen to, you are a fine teacher!

I have been teaching sax and other winds for over 20 years, and you give me that “push” to give my students more!

Mark Peotter

Mark Peotter
Steve’s monthly lessons are entirely valuable. Without brow beating, he tells you all the stuff you deep down know you really should be working on, instead of just relying on the same old patterns. In spite of the fact that you’re taking a video lesson, Steve’s presentation is comfortable and “real”. In a little more than a year, he’s developed a library of lessons that seem to offer any player a lifetime’s worth of practice material. I’m just glad I stumbled upon it.… Read more
Grant
Thank you for the wealth of helpful lessons you’ve provided over the years.  I truly feel as though it has improved my playing more than the 4 years I spent at Berklee… and that’s not a slight on the school as I loved my experience there.
John
John
Hi Steve, I have been shedding your materials for quite a while now and I love them! They are extremely well organized and presented and there are tons of ’em! I really appreciate your methodical approach and find myself referring students to your resources often.  Thanks so much!  
Kenyon Carter

Hello Steve, I’m getting so much out of your lessons and books, amazing how much one may think one knows, there is always a new frontier or new way to view something you think you had somewhat down. You have taken it all to a new level and am so grateful. Your lessons are so down to earth and understandable and clear!  Thanks so much Steve! Cheers, Eddie

Eddie Parente

Featured Video Lessons

  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $19.99 Original price was: $19.99.$14.99Current price is: $14.99.
  • The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor The Secret to Modern Outside Jazz Lines Lesson-Minor $9.99
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 4.91 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson The Secret to Altissimo (no one has ever told you about before) Lesson
    Rated 4.75 out of 5
    $9.99

Now over 600 video and audio lessons to choose from!

Free Lessons

  • Free Lesson on The New Ultimate II-V-I Primer-Major Keys
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering Altered Pentatonics
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Blues Scale Volume 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Mastering the Dominant Bebop Scale and Language Book 1 & 2
  • Free Video Lesson on Approach Note Velocity Book

Recent reviews

  • Bebop Scale-Altered Scale II-V-I Practice Lesson Bebop Scale-Altered Scale II-V-I Practice Lesson by Noah
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) by Andy
  • Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Dominant Pentatonic Sound over a Blues (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Russ
  • Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson Creating Modern II-V-I Lines with Simple Pentatonics Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Timothy
  • The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson The Best Embouchure for Tone, Intonation and Endurance Lesson
    Rated 5 out of 5
    by Ray Holland

Footer

Recent Comments

  • Dominique on Otto Link Super Tone Master Florida V Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Felipe on Drake Jerry Bergonzi Master Series Power Resonance 7* Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review
  • Steve on Ted Klum Focustone Standard Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
  • Jeremy on Ted Klum Focustone Standard Model Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece
  • Steve on Les Becs d’Autan Florida Tenor Saxophone Mouthpiece Review

Top rated products

  • Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound (Digital PDF Book) Mastering the Major Bebop Scale & Sound (Digital PDF Book)
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $14.99
  • Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson Tune of the Week-Softly as a Morning Sunrise Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • The Style of Dexter Gordon-Lady Bird Lesson 1 The Style of Dexter Gordon-Lady Bird Lesson 1
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Tune of the Week-Days of Wine and Roses Lesson Tune of the Week-Days of Wine and Roses Lesson
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99
  • Tune of the Week-Invitation Tune of the Week-Invitation
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $9.99

Product tags

alto sax alto saxophone approach notes audio lesson bebop scale beginner beginner saxophone blues blues licks blues patterns blues scale blues scales diminished scale dominant chords ear training fundamentals II-V-I improvisation jazz improvisation jazz lines jazz patterns jazz sax jazz saxophone jazz standard jazz standards licks Mastering the Blues Scale Michael Brecker modern improv modern improvisation online lesson patterns playing outside practice habits reading music sax basics sax lessons saxophone scales smooth jazz steve neff tenor sax tenor saxophone video lesson video lessons
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • SUPPORT

Neffmusic © 2005–2025