LOU DONALDSON - Musty Rusty + At His Best (1965-2007) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although issued on the Cadet label, Musty Rusty follows in much the same vein as Lou Donaldson's previous LPs for Blue Note. Credit reunions with the brilliant guitarist Grant Green and the underrated drummer Ben Dixon for the seamless transition, and even if organist Billy Gardner can't quite yet fill the shoes of longtime Donaldson foil Big John Patton, the set's soulfulness and creativity still demand attention. Trumpeter Bill Hardman completes the lineup, which comfortably settles into a tight, focused groove with the opening "The Space Walk" and never lets up -- Donaldson originals like "Hippity Hop" and the title tune crackle with energy, and the melodic ingenuity of Green's guitar solos astounds. Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1    Musty Rusty 6:03
Written-By – Lou Donaldson
2    Midnight Sun 4:45
Written-By – J. Francis Burke, Lionel Hampton
3    Hipty Hop 5:20
Written-By – Lou Donaldson
4    The Space Walk 6:10
Written-By – Ben Dixon
5    Ha' Mercy 5:30
Written-By – Lou Donaldson
6    Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White 5:20
Written-By – Luis Guglielmi, Mack David, Marcel Ageron
7    Greasy Papa 6:26
Written-By – Lou Donaldson
8    Tangerine 3:04
Written-By – Johnny Mercer, Victor Schertzinger
9    Wig Blues 3:56
Written-By – Lou Donaldson
10    Blues #3 5:56
Written-By – Lou Donaldson
11    Win, Lose Or Draw 6:08
Written-By – Ousley
12    Be Anything, But Be Mine 4:54
Written-By – Gordon
13    Day By Day 7:18
Written-By – Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston, Sammy Cahn
Credits :
>| 1-6  Lou Donaldson - Musty Rusty <|
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Drums – Ben Dixon
Engineer – Rudy Van Gelder
Guitar – Grant Green
Organ – Billy Gardner
Trumpet – Bill Hardman
>| 7-13 Lou Donaldson At His Best <|
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Drums – Grady Tate
Guitar – Calvin Newborn
Organ – Billy Gardner
Trumpet – Bill Hardman
Drums – Ben Dixon

LOU DONALDSON - Alligator Boogaloo (1967-2014) RM | SHM-CD | Blue Note, The Masterworks | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

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. Al Campbell
Tracklist :
1     Alligator Boogaloo 6:57
Lou Donaldson    
2     One Cylinder 6:49
Freddie McCoy    
3     The Thang 3:34
Lou Donaldson    
4     Aw Shucks! 7:23
Dr. Lonnie Smith    
5     Rev. Moses 6:28
Lou Donaldson    
6     I Want a Little Girl 4:29
Murray Mencher / Billy Moll
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Cornet – Melvin Lastie, Sr.
Drums – Leo Morris
Guitar – George Benson
Organ – Lonnie Smith
Recorded By [Recording By] – Rudy Van Gelder

LOU DONALDSON - Mr. Shing-A-Ling (1967-2006) RM | Blue Note 決定盤1500 - 282 | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Lou Donaldson does attempt to loosen up a bit with Mr. Shing-A-Ling, but the whole affair is a bit stilted and misconceived. Not quite the full-fledged electric funk workout that was becoming commonplace for old-guard soul-jazz musicians in the late '60s, but not quite the bop-inflected soul-jazz of the early '60s. either, Mr. Shing-A-Ling falls into a netherworld that won't connect either with jazz purists or fans of grooving jazz-funk. When the group does try to get funky on the record, the results just sound lazy -- there's no spark to the rhythms, or to Donaldson's melody lines, especially on the embarrassing cover of the pop hit "Ode to Billie Joe." When the quintet settles into a midtempo vamp, Donaldson, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, and organist Lonnie Smith do spin out some good solos, but the lack of energy and enthusiasm the group has for the material makes Mr. Shing-A-Ling a bit of a tiring listen. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1     Ode to Billie Joe 6'33
Bobbie Gentry    
2     The Humpback 5:28
Lou Donaldson    
3     The Shadow of Your Smile 6:26
Johnny Mandel / Paul Francis Webster    
4     Peepin' 8:21
Lonnie O. Smith    
5     The Kid 11:00
Harold Ousley
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Drums – Leo Morris
Guitar – Jimmy "Fats" Ponder
Organ – Lonnie Smith
Trumpet – Blue Mitchell

LOU DONALDSON - Lush Life (1967-2007) RM | RVG Edition | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

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 -- Wayne Shorter (tenor sax), Jerry Dodgion (alto sax, flute), Pepper Adams (bari sax), Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Garnett Brown (trombone), McCoy Tyner (piano), Ron Carter (bass), Al Harewood (drums) -- knows enough to provide sympathetic support and not steal the show. When they do take solos, it enhances Donaldson's original statements, and helps make Lush Life the singularly enchanting record it is. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1    Sweet Slumber 5'56
Lucky Millinder / Al J. Neiburg / Henri Woode
2     You've Changed 4'23
Bill Carey / Carl Fischer    
3     The Good Life 4'53
Jean Broussole / Sacha Distel    
4     Star Dust 3'40
Hoagy Carmichael    
5     What Will I Tell My Heart 4'25
Irving Gordon / Jack Lawrence / Peter Tinturin
6     It Might as Well Be Spring 5'58
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
7     Sweet and Lovely 5'58
Gus Arnheim / Jules LeMare (Chas. N. Daniels) / Harry Tobias
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Jerry Dodgion
Arranged By – Duke Pearson
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams
Bass – Ron Carter
Drums – Al Harewood
Piano – McCoy Tyner
Recorded By, Remastered By – Rudy Van Gelder
Tenor Saxophone – Wayne Shorter
Trombone – Garnett Brown
Trumpet – Freddie Hubbard

LOU DONALDSON - The Midnight Creeper (1968-2014) RM | SHM-CD | Blue Note, The Masterworks | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless |

As he delved deeper into commercial soul-jazz and jazz-funk, Lou Donaldson became better at it. While lacking the bite of his hard bop improvisations or the hard-swinging funk of Alligator Bogaloo, Midnight Creeper succeeds where its predecessor, Mr. Shing-A-Ling failed: it offers a thoroughly enjoyable set of grooving, funky soul-jazz. The five songs -- including two originals by Donaldson and one each by Lonnie Smith (who also plays organ on the record), Teddy Vann, and Harold Ousley -- aren't particularly distinguished, but the vibe is important, not the material. And the band -- Donaldson, Smith, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, guitarist George Benson, and drummer Leo Morris -- strikes the right note, turning in a fluid, friendly collection of bluesy funk vamps. Donaldson could frequently sound stilted on his commercial soul-jazz dates, but that's not the case with Midnight Creeper. He rarely was quite as loose on his late-'60s/early-'70s records as he is here, and that's what makes Midnight Creeper a keeper. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1     Midnight Creeper 6:32
Lou Donaldson / Dr. Lonnie Smith    
2     Love Power 7:46
Teddy Vann    
3     Elizabeth 5:37
Lou Donaldson    
4     Bag of Jewels 9:44
Lonnie Liston Smith    
5     Dapper Dan 6:30
Harold Ousley
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Drums – Leo Morris
Guitar – George Benson
Organ – Lonnie Smith
Recorded By [Recording By] – Rudy Van Gelder
Trumpet – Blue Mitchell