Work Song (Nat Adderley song)

Jazz standard by Nat Adderley

Nat Adderley in 1969.

"Work Song" is a work song and jazz standard[1] by American trumpeter Nat Adderley and writer Oscar Brown Jr. It was first featured in Adderley's 1960 studio album of the same name, which was met with high praise and acclaim.[2][3] "Work Song" is one of Adderley's best known compositions.[4]

The song was originally only an instrumental, but Oscar Brown Jr. included lyrics in a cover released the following year on his album, Sin & Soul.[5]

## Background

[edit]

Picture of a Southern chain gang circa 1903.

"Work Song" was inspired by Nat Adderley's childhood experience of seeing a group of convict laborers singing while they worked on a chain gang, paving the street in front of his family’s home in Florida.[6]

## Musical composition

[edit]

The song is a 16 bar form in F minor. It is a minor blues.[7]

F-7  | •/•[a] | •/•  | •/•

|
|
|

F-7  | •/•  | C7  | •/•
F-7  | •/•  | •/•  | •/•
F7  | Bb7  | Db7 C7  | F-7

The Penguin Guide to Jazz states: "'Work Song' is the real classic, of course, laced with a funky blues feel but marked by some unexpectedly lyrical playing."[8] In a musical analysis of Adderley's improvisational bebop style, Kyle M. Granville writes that the song is "connected to the soul-jazz style that Nat Adderley and his brother Cannonball Adderley immersed themselves into during the mid-1960s."[9]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ This indicates to stay on the chord that came before. See: Grid notation

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Saunders, Martin Wesley. Nat Adderley (1931-2000) and Work song : an analysis of improvisational style and evolution. OCLC 690253067.
2. ^ Yanow, S. Allmusic Review accessed February 17, 2010.
3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of 60s Music (3rd ed.). Virgin Books Ltd. p. 9\. ISBN 1-85227-933-8.
4. ^ Micucci, Matt (2020-11-25). "Song of the Day: Cannonball Adderley Quintet, "Work Song"". JAZZIZ Magazine. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
5. ^ Yanow, Scott. "Oscar Brown, Jr.: Sin & Soul - Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
6. ^ Gridley, Mark (2014). "Review of Walk Tall: The Music and Life of Julian "Cannonball" Adderley. (The Hal Leonard Jazz Biography Series); Jazz Icons: Heroes, Myths and the Jazz Tradition". Notes. 71 (1): 108–112\. doi:10.1353/not.2014.0108. ISSN 0027-4380. JSTOR 43672881.
7. ^ Vaartstra, Brent (2013-05-30). "Work Song". Learn Jazz Standards. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
8. ^ Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2006) [1992]. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). London: Penguin. pp. 11. ISBN 978-0-141-02327-4.
9. ^ M, Granville, Kyle (2020-01-01). A Musical Analysis of the Improvisational Bebop Style of Nat Adderley (1955-1964). OCLC 1286934150.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

* v
* t
* e

Nat Adderley

Years listed represent the year(s) of recording, not original release date.

Studio albums|

* That's Nat (1955)
* Introducing Nat Adderley (1955)
* To the Ivy League from Nat (1956)
* Branching Out (1958)
* Much Brass (1959)
* Work Song (1960)
* That's Right! (1960)
* Naturally! (1961)
* In the Bag (1962)
* Little Big Horn (1963)
* Autobiography (1964-1965)
* Sayin' Somethin' (1966)
* The Scavenger (1968)
* You, Baby (1968)
* Calling Out Loud (1968)
* Soul Zodiac (1972)
* Soul of the Bible (with Rick Holmes, 1972)
* Double Exposure (1974)
* Don't Look Back (1976)
* Hummin' (1976)
* A Little New York Midtown Music (1978)
* Talkin' About You (1990)
* The Old Country (with Vincent Herring, 1990)

Live albums|

* Live at Memory Lane (1966)
* On the Move (1982)
* Blue Autumn (1982)
* We Remember Cannon (1989)
* Autumn Leaves (1990)
* Work Song: Live at Sweet Basil (1990)

Songs|

* "Work Song" (1960)

Related articles|

* Cannonball Adderley (brother)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template