Florida A&M University's most famous musical alums have been further immortalized with the creation of the Julian "Cannonball" and Nat Adderley Music Institute. A day-long celebration on Thursday, April 18 got the new program off to a good start.
The party had its climax Thursday evening in Lee Hall Auditorium. That's where the FAMU Jazz Ensemble - along with some special guest performers - had the crowd, which included FAMU President Larry Robinson, standing and cheering. Robinson said the fiery spirit of the Adderley Brothers lived on among the school's current crop of jazz prodigies.
"And to see it still here in these young people today just tells you how great that impact has been on the university. Now that we have this very new music institute named after them, it will keep this going in perpetuity. So I'm really proud that I'm here at the time the program was named in their honor."
The Adderleys pushed the boundaries of jazz into what would become the fusion sound of the 1960s and 70s, while also finding success on the popular music charts. The new institute will provide students with a total grounding in the entire music industry, including management, finance, production and publishing.
