In 2019, drummer Roy McCurdy, who toured with Cannonball Adderley in the '60s, came to the KNKX studios with a tribute band of Pacific Northwest talent.
During the tribute, he grooved alongside Seattle trumpeter Thomas Marriott, pianist Marc Seales, bassist Michael Glynn and Canadian saxophonist Cory Weeds in celebration of the newly-released Swingin' in Seattle: Live at the Penthouse, which captures a set from Adderley's band back in the day.
Weeds, who runs the label Reel to Real, released this Live in Seattle album, and it was recorded in the '60s by legendary broadcaster Jim Wilke. For seven years, Wilke broadcast iconic jazz concerts for King Radio from The Penthouse, a jazz club located at that time in Seattle's Pioneer Square.
"There were actually people who were driving around listening to it in the car, who would come down for the second set," Wilke said.
McCurdy was the drummer on these live recordings from 60 years ago. When McCurdy first joined Adderley's band, he had recently quit his life as a traveling musician and was working as a film tester for Kodak in Rochester, New York. Then the phone rang.
"I picked it up and the voice on the other end was saying 'Roy McCurdy?' I said, 'Yeah?' He says, 'This is Cannonball.' I said, 'Hey, Cannon' — I had met him before. He says, 'Listen, fool, I want you to come and join my band.'"
McCurdy was a little rusty when he joined Adderley. He hadn't played drums seriously for about a year. Thankfully, it didn't take long for McCurdy to get his chops back.
"It's around the first part of the second week, we were in this club playing and the band was burning, and they turned around at the end of this gig and nodded their heads, and then that was it, man. From then on, we were gone, you know," he said.
McCurdy is almost 90. He spent over a decade with Adderley's band, which included Cannonball's brother, Nat Adderley, on cornet. Though they were from a close family, they were very different guys, McCurdy said.
"Cannon was kind of the musical guy, you know, the serious musical guy. Nat was too, but he was more of the business kind of guy for the band, like the straw boss, you know. He was funny, always joking around," he said.
Despite their differences, the Adderley brothers did have one key similarity, and McCurdy had a perfect view of it.
"I could see them from the back, being the drummer, so they'd be in front, and their behinds would always be in sync. Yeah, they had that little sync thing, a little dance thing, and you look at them, and I'd just crack up, because always they'd be right the same all the time," said McCurdy.
From the Penthouse in the '60s to KNKX studio sessions today, the music of Cannonball Adderley — and Roy McCurdy — continues on.
Songs heard in this episode:
- "The Girl Next Door"
- "Big P"
- "Sticks"
