Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson was born in North Carolina on November 1, 1926. The second of four children, he started out on clarinet but switched instruments while in the Navy, inspired by Charlie Parker. A hardcore bebopper to start, he moved to New York and recorded with vibraphonist Milt Jackson, pianist Thelonious Monk, and drummer Art Blakey. He moved into hard bop as the 1950s wore on, working with organist Jimmy Smith and recording extensively
on his own.

In the 1960s, Donaldson became one of the kings of soul jazz, playing funky, R&B-adjacent tunes full of groove that frequently featured guitarist Grant Green, organist Big John Patton, and drummer Ben Dixon. (Later in the decade, he would put together a new band with Lonnie Smith at the organ and Idris Muhammad behind the kit; two albums from this era, Alligator Bogaloo and Midnight Creeper, featured a young George Benson on guitar.) His recordings earned him a sizeable audience in the Black community and have been extensively sampled on albums by Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest, Dr. Dre and more. Donaldson continued to record and perform well into the 21st century, and the albums below are mere entry points to a deep and rewarding catalogue.

Blues Walk (Blue Note, 1958)

Recorded in 1958, Blues Walk is one of Lou Donaldson’s genuine masterworks, a collection of simmering grooves and jumping hard bop numbers. The band includes pianist Herman Foster, bassist Peck Morrison, and drummer Dave Bailey, with conguero Ray Barretto a crucial addition. Donaldson himself is in prime form, playing in a lyrical bebop style as opposed to the grittier, bluesier soul-jazz sound he’d embrace in the 1960s, and Foster’s piano playing provides perfect
accompaniment. He also delivers several impressive solos — all the more impressive when you learn that he had been blind since childhood. This album is a must-hear.

Alligator Boogaloo (Blue Note, 1967)

“Alligator Bogaloo” was Lou Donaldson’s first Blue Note album in four years, following 1963’s “Good Gracious!”, and on it, he leapt headlong into the late-Sixties groove. The band included cornet player Melvin Lastie; organist Lonnie Smith, not yet a turbaned doctor; guitarist George Benson; and drummer Leo Morris (later to be known as Idris Muhammad). The title piece, written last-minute to use up studio time, is immortal for a reason, but “One Cylinder” has a hypnotic, minimalist power, and “The Thang” is a short but high-potency hard bop swinger. This was the beginning of a multi-album hot streak for Donaldson.

Mr. Shing-A-Ling (Blue Note, 1968)

Donaldson’s third recording session of 1967 yielded this album of soulful jams, opening with a steamy version of Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode To Billie Joe,” driven by a hard Leo Morris backbeat that’s been sampled well over 200 times on tracks by Ice-T, Cypress Hill, A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West and more. But the album — which features trumpeter Blue Mitchell, organist Lonnie Smith, and guitarist Jimmy Ponder — also includes a simmering, late-night version of “The Shadow Of Your Smile” and a pair of funky Donaldson originals, “Peepin’” and “The Humpback.” Mitchell gets a long solo on the closing “The Kid.”

Midnight Creeper (Blue Note, 1968)

This 1968 album is one of Donaldson’s strongest groove efforts; each of its five tracks is built around a simple, bluesy riff, with drummer Leo Morris laying down shuffling backbeats. The band is drawn from the same pool of players as 1967’s “Alligator Bogaloo” and “Mr. Shing-A-Ling”: trumpeter Blue Mitchell, organist Lonnie Smith and guitarist George Benson return, and everyone tears it up. “Love Power,” a high-energy New Orleans number, is a definite highlight, while “Elizabeth” is a simmering ballad that allows Donaldson’s romantic side to come to the fore, and Smith in particular runs wild on “Bag Of Jewels.”

Say It Loud (Blue Note, 1969)

“Say It Loud!” was recorded only eight months after “Midnight Creeper”, but Donaldson had made some significant changes to his band in the interim. Trumpeter Blue Mitchell and drummer Leo Morris (aka Idris Muhammad) remained, but Charles Earland was now at the organ, with Jimmy Ponder back on guitar. The opening title track — a version of James Brown’s “Say It Loud (I’m Black And I’m Proud)” — feels like it was someone else’s idea. Donaldson and company’s heart
is more obviously in the soul-jazz versions of the standards “Summertime” and “Caravan,” and two funky, strutting new tunes, “Snake Bone” and “Brother Soul.”

_{Header Image: Lou Donaldson I Photo: Francis Wolff ©Blue Note Records}

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Phil Freeman is a regular contributor to DownBeat, Stereogum, and The Wire, and a co-founder of Burning Ambulance. He lives in Montana.

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