Lou DONALDSON - Good Gracious! 1963

Lou DONALDSON - Good Gracious! 1963
BST84125

Jazz

"Soul jazz" was just blooming when saxophonist Lou Donaldson's GOOD GRACIOUS was released in 1963. The album epitomizes the initial period of this sub-genre well, with a subtle shift away from the more intellectual jazz of the early '60s. However, this music is still swinging and very much rooted in the jazz tradition; what separates this from hard-bop is the extensive use of pure blues forms and, in some cases, the use of gospel music.

"The Holy Ghost" is a great example of this record's gospel influence. On this track, the band plays in waltz time, while the soloists play funky, down-home improvisations. Instead of playing bop solos, these very harmonically aware players use basic blues scales and accessible motifs. But don't be fooled; this music is not simplistic, and the solos here resonate with great authority. One of the record's highlights, the title track, is a blues number that builds off of a simple alto saxophone line. This melody serves as the springboard for seasoned improvisations from guitarist Grant Green, organist John Patton, and of course, Donaldson himself, who stretches out with a delightful bop solo, reminding listeners of his Charlie Parker roots.
**
Good Gracious may be Lou Donaldson's record, but guitarist Grant Green and organist John Patton steal the show. Working with a tight, soulful groove laid down by drummer Ben Dixon, the guitarist and organist trade hot lines that often steal the thunder from Donaldson, who nevertheless turns in a robust, tuneful performance. Donaldson's tone is richer and fuller than it is on many of his early '60s records, and he really connects with the laid-back R&B grooves and soul-jazz vamps on Good Gracious, turning in melodic, memorable solos. However, Grant and Patton take the songs even further with their intense solos and fills; Patton, in particular, sounds on fire even when the tempo is mellow. Good Gracious still falls prey to some of the lazy tempos that pop up on most Lou Donaldson records, but it remains one of his finest soul-jazz sessions
**
Lou Donaldson- Alto Sax
John Patton- Organ
Grant Green- Guitar
Ben Dixon- Drums
**
A1. Bad John 8:18 
A2. The Holy Ghost 8:38
A3. Cherry 5:17
B1. Caracas 7:19
B2. Good Gracious 6:52 
B3. Don't Worry 'Bout Me 5:35
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Lou DONALDSON - Sunny Side Up 1960

Lou DONALDSON - Sunny Side Up 1960

Jazz

Sunny Side Up is closer to hard bop than the straight-ahead bop that characterized Lou Donaldson's '50s Blue Note records. There's a bit more soul to the songs here, which pianist Horace Parlan helps emphasize with his lightly swinging grooves. The pair help lead the group -- which also features trumpeter Bill Hardman, drummer Al Harewood and bassist Sam Jones (Laymon Jackson plays bass on two of the eight songs) -- through a mellow set of standards and bluesy originals from Donaldson and Parlan. Even the uptempo numbers sound relaxed, never fiery. Despite the general smoothness of the session, Donaldson stumbles a little -- the quotation of "Flight of the Bumblebee" on "Blues for J.P." is awkward, as is the snippet of "Pop Goes the Weasel" on "Politely," and "Way Down Upon the Swanee River" sounds lazy -- but there's enough solid material to make Sunny Side Up a worthwhile listen for fans of Donaldson and early-'60s hard bop.
**
In the late fifties and early sixties, alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded primarily with his own quartet with pianist Herman Foster or with organ trios. Occasionally, he'd break the mold as he did on this February, 1960 session that was strictly a hard bop affair which includes trumpeter Bill Hardman and pianist Horace Parlan. There's still plenty of funk in evidence as Goose Grease bears out, but Hardman's Politely, Softly As In A Morning Sunrise and The Man I Love find Lou digging deep into his bop roots.  
**
Sunny Side Up is closer to hard bop than the straight-ahead bop that characterized Lou Donaldson's '50s Blue Note records. There's a bit more soul to the songs here, which pianist Horace Parlan helps emphasize with his lightly swinging grooves. The pair help lead the group -- which also features trumpeter Bill Hardman, drummer Al Harewood and bassist Sam Jones (Laymon Jackson plays bass on two of the eight songs) -- through a mellow set of standards and bluesy originals from Donaldson and Parlan. Even the uptempo numbers sound relaxed, never fiery. Despite the general smoothness of the session, Donaldson stumbles a little -- the quotation of "Flight of the Bumblebee" on "Blues for J.P." is awkward, as is the snippet of "Pop Goes the Weasel" on "Politely," and "Way Down Upon the Swanee River" sounds lazy -- but there's enough solid material to make Sunny Side Up a worthwhile listen for fans of Donaldson and early-'60s hard bop.
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide.
**
Bill Hardman- Trumpet
Lou Donaldson- Alto Sax
Horace Parlan- Piano
Sam Jones- Bass (3, 6, 7)
Laymon Jackson- Bass (1, 2, 4, 5)
Al Harewood- Drums
**
01. Blues For J. P. (Horace Parlan)
02. The Man I Love (I. & G. Gershwin)
03. Politely (Bill Hardman)
04. It's You Or No One (Cahn-Styne)
05. The Truth (Lou Donaldson)
06. Goose Grease (Lou Donaldson)
07. Softly As Ina Morning Sunrise (Hammerstein II-Romberg)
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Lou DONALDSON - The Time Is Right 1959

Lou DONALDSON - The Time Is Right 1959

Jazz

A beautiful album of mellow-grooving tracks from Lou Donaldson  recorded during his rich post-bop late 50s years, and done with a wonderfully warm sound! The group features Horace Parlan on piano, Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Laymon Jackson on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums  plus Ray Baretto added in on conga, giving the whole session a little bit of a kick with a light Latinish groove on the best numbers! The rhythm's nice and skittish  lightly leaping around on even the quieter numbers, and letting Lou blow his alto in the strongly rhythmic mode that was starting to appear in his recordings of the time. Titles include "Crosstown Shuffle", "Mack The Knife", "Be My Love", and "Lou's Blues".
From Dusty Groove.
**
For the Jazz world, 1959 was a pivotal year, with the recording of "Kind of Blue", "Giants Steps" (recorded in may 1959), Mingus recording "Ah Um", the appearance of Ornette Coleman in NY, and recordings by Cecil Taylor and Sun ra, that did not get wide attention but pointed in the direction of change. It was also in that year that Martin luther King travelled to India to study Ghandi's legacy, and the year in which the TV documentary "The hate that hate produced", about the Nation of Islam, brought Malcolm X into public awareness.
But for Lou Donaldson, 1959 was a time to present his developing style that came from Charlie Parker, and became more persoanl as time went by. A year earlier he recorded "Blues Walk" which showed him to be one of bluesier and smoother alto players around, and he stuck with this line of playing for the rest of his career.
The cd features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Ray Barreto on congas, Horace Parlan on piano, Laymon Jackson on bass and Dave baily on drums. The group sounds relaxed and tight, with the conga sound adding to the groove. Blue Mitchell plays well as usual, and Horace Parlan , who was just leaving Mingus after two years, follows the the Horace Silver model without sounding the same.
The sound of the band is a more relaxed version of the Jazz Messengers (in which Donaldson played before), with Lou's bright alto leading the way. All his solos are good, showing the Parker influence without too many cliches, but for me his high point comes when playing "mack the Knife", where his sound and lyricism are at their best. Blue Mitchell's solo on this tune is also full of energy and feeling.
This is a very good choice for anyone interested in post bop, in good alto playing, and in music in general.
By Nadav Haber.
**
Blue Mitchell- (Trumpet -1,3/6)
Lou Donaldson- (Alto Sax)
Horace Parlan- (Piano)
Laymon Jackson- (Bass)
Dave Bailey- (Drums)
Ray Barretto- (Conga)
**
A1. Lou's Blues 5:59
A2. Be My Love 5:46
A3. Idaho 5:10
A4. The Nearness Of You 4:43
B1. Mack The Knife 5:18
B2. Crosstown Shuffle 5:15
B3. Tangerine 4:57
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
* 

Lou DONALDSON - Alligator Bogaloo 1967

Lou DONALDSON - Alligator Bogaloo 1967

Jazz

Alligator Bogaloo is one example of Lou Donaldson's successful combinations of hard bop and soul-jazz. Of the six tunes, three are Donaldson originals, including the title hit. The excellent band, consisting of Melvin Lastin, Sr. on cornet, George Benson on guitar, Lonnie Smith on organ, and Leo Morris on drums, mixes laid-back vamps beneath driving hard bop charts. As the '60s turned into the '70s, Donaldson began shaving off hard bop invention for a more radio-friendly and 45 rpm length, leaving soulful -- yet monotonous -- vamping. At that point, Donaldson's material suffered from a lack of originality. That's not the case on Alligator Bogaloo.
By Al Campbell. AMG.
**
Lou Donaldson- (Alto Sax);
Melvin Lastie- (Cornet);
Lonnie Smith- (Organ);
George Benson- (Guitar);
Leo Morris- (Drums).
**
A1. Alligator Boogaloo  6:45
A2. One Cylinder  6:40
A3. The Thang  5:45
B1. Aw Shucks!  7:15
B2. Rev. Moses  6:20
B3. I Want a Little Girl  4:25
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Lou DONALDSON - Lush Life 1967

Lou DONALDSON - Lush Life 1967

Jazz

After brief sojourns at Argo and Cadet, Lou Donaldson marked his 1967 return by recording Lush Life, the grandest project he ever attempted. With its plush arrangements and unabashedly pretty melodies, Lush Life stands in stark contrast to everything else he cut in the '60s. There are no blues, no stabs at soul-jazz grooves, no hard bop -- only sweet, sensitive renditions of romantic standards. Donaldson shone on ballads before, but it's nevertheless surprising how successful he is on this set of slow love songs. His tone is full and elegant -- it's easy to get lost in his rich readings of these familiar melodies, as well as his slyly seductive improvisations. Of course, it helps that his instrumental backdrops are as lovely as those his nine-piece backing band provide. Nonets are unwieldy, to be certain, but Duke Pearson's arrangements are clean, sparkling, and attractive, and the superstar band.
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine.
**
Artists sometimes step out of character and produce a work that's not in the style for which they have come to be associated. The results are often intriguing if not always successful, and are a testament to their versatility. Such is the case with altoist Lou Donaldson's Lush Life, reissued after being given the RVG treatment by Blue Note Records. Originally recorded in 1967 but not issued until 1980, Lush Life is a collection of ballads played by a six-horn front line and rhythm section.

The pieces are all standards arranged by pianist Duke Pearson. The group, a veritable who's who of jazz giants, is led by Donaldson who, at the time, was popular for his bluesy soul-jazz recordings with loose backing of an organ-based rhythm section. The music here is very tightly arranged, and although Donaldson takes the majority of solos there are others whose horns punctuate the beautiful music with their poignant notes.

Donaldson plays the ballads with the same extreme facility and creativity that he has displayed on his other hard-bop and soul-jazz recordings. There is, however, a certain monotony in the extreme similarity that the tracks bear to each other and, in the end, a few become indistinguishable from one another. This is not to say that the work in any way becomes of lesser quality as one continues to listen to the record, but only that the emphasis is on maintaining a certain mood rather than variety.

The reissue does not provide any alternate takes or previously unissued tracks, but it does provide enhanced and pristine sound quality. This is an enjoyable record that, although a tad monotonous, stands as proof that Donaldson is not a saxophonist who can be pigeonholed into one genre or another, but is a versatile and creative musician
By Hrayr Attarian. AAJ.
**
Lou Donaldson- (Alto Sax);
Jerry Dodgion- (Flute, Alto Sax);
Wayne Shorter- (Tenor Sax);
Pepper Adams- (Baritone Sax);
Freddie Hubbard- (Trumpet);
Garnett Brown- (Trombone);
McCoy Tyner- (Piano);
Ron Carter- (Bass);
Al Harewood- (Drums).
**
01. Sweet Slumber (5:56) 
02. You've Changed  (4:23)
03. The Good Life   (4:53)
04. Star Dust  (3:40)
05. What Will I Tell My Heart  (4:25)
06. It Might as Well Be Spring  (5:58)
07. Sweet and Lovely  (5:58)
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*

Lou DONALDSON – Say It Loud! 1969

Lou DONALDSON – Say It Loud! 1969

Jazz

The title of Say It Loud! is taken from James Brown's anthem "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud," the R&B/funk classic that Lou Donaldson covers on this album. Instead of providing a thematic and musical touchstone for the rest of the record, the song is an attempt to prove that Donaldson is still on top of musical trends, but the lazy groove he and his band — trumpeter Blue Mitchell, guitarist Jimmy Ponder, organist Charles Earland, drummer Leo Morris — work up shows they're not quite comfortable with this contemporary funk. They sound much more at ease with standards like "Summertime" and "Caravan," which give them a chance to stretch out, even if they are arranged like commercially oriented soul-jazz. Nevertheless, their simple presence on the album puts the stiffness of Donaldson's groove-oriented soul-jazz in sharper relief. Midnight Creeper was a successful soul-jazz record because the group managed to hit the right tone and groove, but here his group sounds awkward and uneasy. There are a few good moments scattered throughout the album, particularly by Mitchell, but overall, Say It Loud! is one of the weakest records in Donaldson's catalog.
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine. AMG.
**
Charles Earland- (Organ),
Blue Mitchell- (Trumpet),
Jimmy Ponder- (Guitar),
Lou Donaldson- (Alto Sax)
Leo Morris- (Drums),
**
A1. Say It Loud I´m Black And Proud 7:18
A2. Summertime 5:45
A3. Caravan 5:10

B1. Snake Bone 9:30
B2. Brother Soul 7:57
**
NoPassword
*
DLink
*