Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!

In 1955, Cannonball Adderley moved to New York only to start a graduate program in music education, not a music career. He sat in at a club one night, the room lit up, and within weeks he had a record deal — cutting his debut album, Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley, before he'd even settled into school.

In June 1955 an alto player fresh out of Florida sat in at the Cafe Bohemia and was a talking point within weeks. The record made that summer, Bohemia After Dark (1955), went out under the drummer's name — so Cannonball Adderley's starting point is not a leader date of his own, and his brother Nat Adderley is on it too, on cornet.