The story behind puzzle No. 16
Cannonball Adderley Quintet · Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! · Capitol · 1966 (released 1967)
The crowd sounds like it is having the time of its life. It is, but not at the club named on the cover.
The album is titled Live at The Club, and the liner notes place it at a Chicago nightclub. In fact the Cannonball Adderley Quintet recorded it on October 20, 1966, in Capitol's Hollywood studio, in front of an invited audience with an open bar.
The title track became a surprise hit in early 1967. It reached No. 2 on the soul chart and No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The band's pianist, Joe Zawinul, wrote it and played it on a Wurlitzer electric piano that had previously belonged to Ray Charles. Zawinul later co-founded Weather Report. The rock band the Buckinghams had an even bigger hit with a vocal version the same year, with lyrics by Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Larry Williams. It reached No. 5.
The tune uses only a few bluesy chords but does not follow a standard blues form. Listen for the slow, bluesy groove and the audience cheering the band on.
Who's on it
Keep listening
Play Weather Report's Birdland, puzzle No. 20, to hear where Zawinul went next.
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