For Nat Adderley Jr., serving as Luther Vandross’ musical director and longtime pianist was one chapter in a remarkable musical life—and a partnership that helped shape the sound of modern R&B. In conversation with Questlove, Nat looks back on making “Never Too Much,” flying in from Houston to play “A House Is Not a Home,” and trying to talk Luther out of recording the Carpenters’ version of “Superstar.” As Vandross is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Nat recalls the grandeur of Luther’s stage shows and the loss of drummer Yogi Horton. He also reflects on how his arrangement of “If This World Were Mine” found new life in Kendrick Lamar’s “Luther.”
The funny, unpredictable conversation also touches on Nat’s new album, Took So Long—his first as a leader and a return to the Jazz roots that run through his family and his work. In a personal full-circle moment, Questlove tells Nat how a protest song Nat recorded at 15 with his uncle Cannonball Adderley changed his life.
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