A soul survivor in every sense of the term, this alto saxophonist is one
of the few remaining jazz artists who made a major impact on the jazz
community via an extensive run with producer Alfred Lion and the Blue
Note label (Horace Silver being another Blue Note legend that comes to
mind). From his first recordings for the label with Art Blakey's Jazz
Messengers, it was clear that Lou Donaldson put melody and sound at a
premium, coming up with an amalgam that combined the creamy smoothness
of Johnny Hodges with the quicksilver bop inflections of Charlie Parker.
Over the course of some 20 albums that Donaldson would cut for Blue Note beginning with his first sessions in 1953, you can trace the course of popular jazz styles, from bop inflected quintets to soul jazz organ combos. The majority of this new six disc set covers the type of bebop fare that is the core of Donaldson's musical persona and much of this material has been available previously on compact disc, although there are a few items that could only be found previously on pricey Japanese imports.
For the record, the albums included herein are Wailing with Lou, Swing and Soul, Lou Takes Off, Blues Walk, LD + 3, The Time Is Right, Sunny Side Up, Light-Foot, Gravy Train, and Midnight Sun.
Performers: Lou Donaldson, alto saxophone ; with, variously: Donald
Byrd, Blue Mitchell, Bill Hardman, trumpet ; Curtis Fuller, trombone ;
Herman Foster, Sonny Clark, Gene Harris, Horace Parlan, piano ; Peck
Morrison, Jamil Nasser (George Joyner), Andrew Simpkins, Laymon Jackson,
Sam Jones, George Tucker, Ben Tucker, bass ; Art Taylor, Dave Bailey,
Jimmy Wormsworth, Bill Dowdy, Al Harewood, drums ; Ray Barretto, Alec
Dorsey, conga.
Notes: Recorded Jan. 27, 1957-Apr. 28, 1961 at Rudy Van Gelders's studio in Hackensack or Englewood Cliffs, N.J.
CD 1
01. Sputnik (10:05)
02. Dewey Square (7:18)
03. Strollin' In (14:38)
04. Groovin' High (6:26)
05. Three Little Words (6:19)
06. Smooth Groove (5:51)
07. Just Friends (5:11)
08. Blue Moon (3:04)
09. Jump Up (6:33)
10. Don't Take Your Love From Me (5:50)
11. Confirmation (5:33)
CD 2
01. Dorothy (5:23)
02. I Won't Cry Anymore (4:22)
03. Herman's Mambo (4:54)
04. Peck Time (5:21)
05. There Will Never Be Another You (5:06)
06. Groove Junction (6:18)
07. Grits And Gravy (6:20)
08. There Will Never Be Another You (Mono) (7:22)
09. Blues Walk (6:36)
10. Move (5:54)
11. The Masquerade Is Over (5:52)
12. Play Ray (5:24)
13. Autumn Nocturne (4:55)
14. Callin' All Cats (5:14)
CD 3
01. Light Foot (5:34)
02. Hog Maw (False Start) (1:18)
03. Hog Maw (6:22)
04. Mary Ann (6:43)
05. Green Eyes (5:21)
06. Walkin' By The River (5:39)
07. Day Dreams (5:02)
08. Stella By Starlight (5:52)
09. Jump Up (5:06)
10. Mary Ann (Alt Tk) (6:03)
11. Stella By Starlight (5:54)
12. Candy (6:15)
13. Midnight Sun (5:48)
14. Avalon (5:17)
CD 4
01. The Squirrel (3:37)
02. Si Si Safronia (4:33)
03. Exactly Like You (5:06)
04. Dog Walk (4:26)
05. Gravy Train (8:18)
06. South Of The Border (5:32)
07. Polka Dots And Moonbeams (4:59)
08. Avalon (4:15)
09. Candy (9:18)
10. Twist Time (6:48)
11. Glory Of Love (4:04)
12. Gravy Train (Alt Tk) (7:34)
13. Glory Of Love (Alt Tk) (3:49)
CD 5
01. Caravan (5:57)
02. Old Folks (6:22)
03. That Good Old Feeling (6:52)
04. Move It (5:57)
05. There Is No Greater Love (6:55)
06. L.D. Blues (5:20)
07. Stella By Starlight (7:46)
08. L.D. Blues (fast version) (4:21)
09. Lou's Blues (5:57)
10. Be My Love (5:45)
11. Idaho (5:11)
12. The Nearness Of You (4:40)
CD 6
01. Mack The Knife (5:17)
02. Crosstowm Shuffle (5:15)
03. Tangerine (4:58)
04. Blues For J.P. (5:39)
05. The Man I Love (5:15)
06. Politely (5:53)
07. It's You Or No One (3:59)
08. The Truth (5:22)
09. Goose Grease (6:08)
10. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (6:35)
11. Way Down Upon The Swanee River (5:40)
