Somethin' Else

Recording history and tape provenance

Adderley had disbanded his own quintet in 1957 to join Miles Davis's group – the band that had just recorded Milestones and would record Kind of Blue the following year. Davis returned the favour by appearing on Adderley's Blue Note date. The working title for the session was "Cannonball Adderley's Five Stars."

The Hackensack studio – in the living room of Rudy Van Gelder's parents' house on Prospect Avenue – had been the site of hundreds of Prestige and Blue Note sessions since 1952. The room's acoustic character was intimate and warm, with a slightly live domestic quality that Van Gelder understood completely. LJC calls it "one of Van Gelder's finest recordings, perfectly balancing dynamic and tonal range with intimacy."

Davis led the session in everything but name: he called most of the tunes, played the head melodies on "Autumn Leaves" and "Love for Sale" with Hank Jones while Adderley sat out, and at the end of "One for Daddy-O" can be heard asking Alfred Lion directly: "Is that what you wanted, Alfred?" The album's five tracks each carry his unmistakable imprint even as sideman. His opening of "Autumn Leaves" with muted trumpet – slow, spacious, and slightly melancholic – sets the tone for the entire session. In Leonard Feather's original liner notes, Davis said: "All my inspiration today comes from Ahmad Jamal, the Chicago pianist. I got the idea for this treatment of 'Autumn Leaves' from him." Hank Jones's extended unaccompanied closing on "Autumn Leaves" is widely considered one of the most elegant piano passages in Blue Note's catalogue.

"Love for Sale" was recorded by Davis's own Columbia band approximately three months later (May 26, 1958) and released the following year on Jazz Track (Columbia CL 1268, 1959). "One for Daddy-O" was written by Nat Adderley for Chicago radio DJ Holmes "Daddy-O" Daylie. The title track – written by Davis – was described in the original liner notes as "a phrase of praise." "Dancing in the Dark" is Adderley's individual showcase; Davis told Feather: "I made him play this because I remembered hearing Sarah Vaughan do it like this." Critic A.B. Spellman called the album "near perfect, with not a wrong note nor throwaway song in its grooves."

The bonus track situation: The original LP contains five tracks. A bonus track – Hank Jones's "Bangoon" (named after Nat Adderley's newborn daughter Alison) – appeared on CD and later reissues under the title "Alison's Uncle," then correctly as "Bangoon" on subsequent issues. It was not on the original LP.

Cover design: Reid Miles designed the purely typographic cover – no photographs, almost certainly due to the contractual complexities of Davis and Hank Jones appearing on a Blue Note record under contract to other labels. LJC notes the compositional elegance of the design: Miles gave "Cannonball Adderley" two lines (Cannonball condensed, Adderley spaced) to contain the longer name within the rectangular grid, while "Art Blakey" at the bottom anchors the dynamic diagonal created by the diminishing first names and lengthening last names.

Stereo note: BLP 1595 was released first, in mono, in 1958. What happened next is more interesting than the usual period Blue Note story: Rudy Van Gelder had recorded the March 9 session to genuine two-track tape, but LJC's detailed research establishes it wasn't until roughly a year after the mono release that Van Gelder returned to that same two-track tape to cut a genuine RVG stereo master – making Somethin' Else one of just five stereo releases in Blue Note's entire 1500 series, a genuinely rare format for the label at this point. This is a real, native stereo mix, not a fake. Blue Note never commissioned separate stereo cover art for these five titles: every stereo copy from 1959 through 1966 simply reuses mono jacket stock with a "STEREO" sticker applied. Original stereo copies (BST 81595, 1959) are consequently a legitimate, desirable format in their own right, not a compromise to avoid. Collectors still often prefer the mono for its more intimate, centered presentation, but that's a matter of taste, not a matter of one format being fabricated.

Tape provenance: The original Alfred Lion–era tapes are in the Blue Note/Universal archive in good condition. Classic Records is the only modern audiophile reissue sourced from the original mono master tape; Analogue Productions, MoFi, Music Matters, and the Blue Note Classic Vinyl series all use the original two-track stereo session tape for their cuts.

Original US Blue Note pressings

Catalogue: BLP 1595 (mono, 1958) / BST 81595 (genuine stereo, 1959 – one of Blue Note's first true stereo releases)

First mono pressing – 47 West 63rd label

Blue Note in 1958 used the 47 West 63rd, New York 23 address on labels. Authentication markers for the earliest BLP 1595 copies:

• Blue and white label with deep groove (both sides on earliest copies)
• RVG hand-etched in the deadwax
• Plastylite P ("ear") stamped separately in the deadwax
• Matrix: BN-LP-1595-A / BN-LP-1595-B, with RVG hand-etched; the P stamped separately. Some copies also show additional stamper numerals or letters (e.g., "9M") in the deadwax, but these vary across copies and are not a universal defining marker of the first pressing.
• Laminated front sleeve
• Back cover: Miles Davis "performs by courtesy of Columbia Records"; Hank Jones "performs by courtesy of Capitol Records"

Label address sequence: Earliest copies: 47 West 63rd (no "Inc." or ®); slightly later: 47 West 63rd Inc. with ®; after 1960 address change: 43 West 61st; from around late 1962 onward: New York USA. The 47 West 63rd no-"Inc." copies are the first pressing. Note: some copies show the ® on side 1 but not side 2 (or vice versa) – a known variant documented on Discogs from simultaneous pressing runs.

NM originals command a substantial premium over VG+ copies.

New York USA address pressings (late 1962 onward)

Later mono pressings show the "New York USA" address, which began appearing around late 1962. Earlier copies in this run used original RVG-cut stampers and are sonically very close to originals. As Blue Note changed ownership through Liberty (1966), United Artists, and later EMI, subsequent pressings may have been cut from copy tapes. Check the deadwax for the RVG etching.

Japanese pressings

Toshiba EMI (1984), licensed from Capitol Records, part of the BLP 1500 series reissued for the Japanese market with a Swing Journal Seal of Approval sticker. Discogs Collectors consistently praise the dead-quiet vinyl typical of Japanese pressings from this era, with an included obi.

Blue Note "Jazz Right Now" series, LNJ-80064 (1976) – the first release in Toshiba's Blue Note Japan LP series, stereo, "Division of Liberty" labels. One longtime collector's verdict: "Rare pressing in the US, but it really opened my eyes and ears to how great early Japanese reissues sound. Modest vinyl weight, but dark quiet backgrounds, and a careful remaster all around." A separate direct three-way comparison against a US "Division of Liberty" stereo pressing and a King Records pressing found the LNJ somewhat lacking in bass and overall presence and dimensionality by comparison, while still praising its piano reproduction – a fine copy, but not necessarily a giant-killer against the best US originals. One caveat worth knowing: LJC found his own copy in this series carries Liberty's West Coast stereo remaster etchings in the deadwax rather than Van Gelder's original stereo metalwork – reception of the series generally is positive, but individual copies may not be sourced from the original RVG stereo master. Check the deadwax if this distinction matters to you. Discogs

The reissue hierarchy

MoFi UltraDisc One-Step 45rpm 2LP (2023) – the current summit

Cat. UD1S 2-022 | Format: 2×180g SuperVinyl LP, 45rpm, stereo, gatefold box set. Mastered by Krieg Wunderlich, assisted by Shawn R. Britton, at Mobile Fidelity from the original two-track master tapes (1/4", 15ips → DSD256 → analog console → lathe). Limited to 6,000 numbered copies; out of print. The one-step process cuts stampers directly from lacquers, bypassing the standard father-mother-stamper chain, giving a lower noise floor and finer groove resolution.

Reception is genuinely divided, and worth understanding before paying secondary-market prices. One direct three-way comparison against the AP 45 and the Music Matters SRX 33⅓ rated this One-Step the least preferred of the three: "Neutered low end, small soundstage, Miles's trumpet is more buried in the mix... you totally lose that 'they are in my room' sound." Others call it the best they've heard this title sound on vinyl. MoFi's well-documented QC problems (fingerprints, dirty-looking vinyl on arrival, split inner sleeves) are mentioned repeatedly even by reviewers who rate the mastering highly. Secondary-market prices reflect a genuinely wide range in how buyers value it relative to the AP and Music Matters alternatives.

Analogue Productions 45rpm 2LP (2008) – the AAA benchmark

Cat. AP-81595 | Format: 2×200g LP, 45rpm, stereo, gatefold. Mastered by Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman at AcousTech, AAA, from the original two-track stereo master tape. Pressed at QRP. Michael Fremer's AnalogPlanet review describes the mastering sessions: "As much as I'd love to relay all kinds of anecdotes about the challenges Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray encounter during the mastering sessions, I witness none. These boys know the sound of the facility and the Van Gelder masters like the backs of their hands... Back home a month later, I unpack some test pressings Chad Kassem has sent me… I hear the most realistic-sounding drums ever reproduced by my system."

Discogs owners: "Every bit as good as you would expect it to be. If you love this album, then you want this pressing." "Quite possibly the best jazz pressing I own, simply stunning." A three-way comparison against the MoFi One-Step and Music Matters SRX rated this AP edition the clear favorite: "There is so much air between the instruments, the soundstage is wide and expansive. The audio has that 'it sounds like they are in the room' vibe. The bass/low end is fantastic on this release, tight and pronounced." Given that the AP is fully AAA and the MoFi involves a DSD step, many informed collectors rate the AP above the One-Step. Discogs

Classic Records QUIEX SV-P mono (2002) – the earlier AAA option

Cat. BLP 1595 | Format: 200g LP, 33⅓, mono, replica deep-groove label. Mastered and lacquers cut by Bernie Grundman. Also issued as a separate stereo edition on the BST 81595 catalog. AnalogPlanet's Michael Fremer: "these 200-gram Quiex SV-P reissues sound superb by any standard. They are not bright or edgy, nor are they rolled-off and warm sounding... I think that with these latest Blue Note jazz titles, Classic and Grundman have gotten to the essence of what's on the tapes and what Rudy Van Gelder intended them to sound like." Out of print since Classic Records closed; a genuine AAA alternative to the AP and Music Matters lineages when it surfaces used. Discogs

Music Matters 33⅓ 180g (2014) – the tip-on gatefold option

Cat. MM33-1595 | Format: 180g LP, 33⅓, stereo, gatefold tip-on jacket with session photos, limited to 2,500 copies. Remastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original two-track stereo Van Gelder Blue Note master tapes. Pressed at RTI. Matrix confirms the stereo (BNST) source: "MM33 BNST-81595." Widely praised on release: "Its absolutely sublime. The trumpet and indeed the entire range are superbly separated not only in the stereo field, but also in frequency... whoever miked up the double bass deserves major credit." Generally rated alongside the AP as one of the finest cuts of this title, in a more elaborate package. Out of print. Discogs

Music Matters SRX 33⅓ (2020) – a later, more divisive repress

Cat. MM33-1595 SRX | Format: 180g LP, 33⅓, stereo, gatefold, part of Music Matters' "SRX" reissue series. Remastered by Kevin Gray and Ron Rambach at Cohearent Audio, from the original two-track stereo tapes. Reviews are split, sometimes sharply, against both the original 2014 Music Matters pressing and the MoFi One-Step: one reviewer calls it "second tier" behind the MoFi, another calls the MoFi second tier behind this SRX, and a third describes it as EQ'd brighter and more detailed than the AP but "more of a fatiguing and at times shrill listen." Worth comparing directly if possible rather than assuming it supersedes the 2014 pressing. Discogs

Blue Note Classic Vinyl 180g stereo (2021) – the recommended entry point

Cat. B0032209-01 | Format: 180g LP, 33⅓, stereo. Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, from the original two-track session tape. Pressed at Optimal in Germany. This is the genuine stereo mix, not mono – one reviewer directly compared it to an original mono copy and confirmed real stereo separation (drums and bass on the right, horns and piano on the left, per Van Gelder's original 1959 mix). Delivers Kevin Gray's mastering at the most accessible price point; some listeners find the piano tone slightly boxy, in keeping with the era, but rate the overall soundstage highly. Discogs: "Отличный релиз, саксофон и трампет просто великолепно звучат. Тяжёлый, абсолютно ровный винил." ("Excellent release, sax and trumpet sound wonderful. Heavy, absolutely flat vinyl.")

Pressings to avoid

Later "electronically rechanneled" reissues: Some later reissue-era pressings (particularly a subset of 1970s/80s repressings) genuinely were electronically reprocessed rather than sourced from the two-track master – these are distinct from, and inferior to, the original 1959 BST 81595 stereo pressing, which is genuine. If buying a vintage stereo copy, confirm it's sourced from Van Gelder's actual stereo master rather than a later dub.

Liberty, United Artists, and EMI-era reissues: Various reissues from the 1966–1990s period were cut from dubs or by engineers without access to the original Van Gelder tapes. Not recommended when the Classic Vinyl is readily available.

Generic European budget reissues: Various unlicensed or poorly sourced EU pressings. Avoid.

Buyer's guide by budget

$ (Budget): The Blue Note Classic Vinyl BST 1595 (2021) – Kevin Gray, Optimal pressing, genuine stereo. The correct starting point.

$$$ (Mid-range): The AP 45rpm 2LP (AP-81595) – fully AAA stereo, Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman, QRP. Rated the top choice in most direct comparisons against the MoFi and Music Matters SRX. The serious listener's choice.

$$$$ (Premium): The MoFi UltraDisc One-Step UD1S 2-022 (2023) – finest pressing quality, lowest noise floor, but reception is genuinely divided against the AP and Music Matters SRX; well-documented QC issues (fingerprints, dirty vinyl on arrival) are worth knowing about before buying.

$$$$$ (Grail / Rare): An original 47 West 63rd (no "Inc.") BLP 1595 first pressing with RVG etched and Plastylite P – Van Gelder's original tube-era lacquer, the most direct connection to the session.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master): https://www.discogs.com/master/118117-Cannonball-Adderley-Somethin-Else
• AllMusic, review of "Somethin' Else": https://www.allmusic.com/album/somethin-else-mw0000247835
• LondonJazzCollector, "Somethin' Else, Cannonball Adderley (1958) Blue Note": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/somethin-else-cannonball-adderley-1958-blue-note/
• LondonJazzCollector, "Collector's Guide to Vintage Blue Note Classics: BLP1595 Cannonball Adderley: Somethin' Else (1958)": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2021/02/19/collectors-guide-to-vintage-blue-note-classics-blp1595-cannonball-adderley-somethin-else-1958/
• LondonJazzCollector, "Cannonball Adderley: Somethin' Else – Blue Note 'Classic Vinyl Series' (2021)": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2021/03/12/cannonball-adderley-somethin-else-1958-blue-note-classic-vinyl-series-2021/
• AnalogPlanet, "Music Matters' Somethin' Else Is Somethin' Else!": https://www.analogplanet.com/content/music-matters-somethin-else%C2%A0%C2%A0-somethin-else
• Blue Note store, product page for the Classic Vinyl Series LP: https://store.bluenote.com/products/cannonball-adderley-somethin-else-lp-blue-note-classic-vinyl-edition
• Discogs release and community listings for all pressings referenced in the tier table above (original BLP 1595/BST 81595, AP-81595, MoFi UD1S 2-022, Music Matters MM33-1595 and SRX, Classic Records, Blue Note Classic Vinyl, Japanese Toshiba EMI and Jazz Right Now LNJ-80064)

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