LOU DONALDSON QUINTET - Wailing with Lou (1957-1999) RM | 24 Bit By RVG | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Wailing With Lou is an appropriate title for this enjoyable set of straight-ahead bop. Whether he's riding the propulsive rhythms of "Caravan" or settling down into a ballad, Donaldson takes the center stage with his surprisingly full alto tone. He still displays a clear Charlie Parker influence, but he is beginning to break free and develop his own style. In particular, he relies on bluesy runs more than Bird, which give his music a soulful edge. But what makes Wailing With Lou so enjoyable is the hot interplay between Donaldson, trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Herman Foster, bassist Peck Morrison and drummer Art Taylor. All five musicians give enthusiastic, infectious performances. There's nothing out of the ordinary here -- just hard-driving bop and sensitive ballads, which are sure to please fans of the style. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1     L.D. Blues 5'20
Lou Donaldson    
2     Caravan 5'57
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Juan Tizol
3     Old Folks 6'20
Dedette Lee Hill / Willard Robison
4     That Good Old Feeling 6'50
Lou Donaldson
5     Move It 5'53
Lou Donaldson
6     There is No Greater Love 6'53
Isham Jones / Marty Symes
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Bass – 'Peck' Morrison
Drums – Art Taylor
Piano – Herman Foster
Recorded By [Recording By] – Rudy Van Gelder
Trumpet – Donald Byrd

LOU DONALDSON QUINTET - Swing and Soul (1957-2000) RM | 24 Bit By RVG | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1     Dorothy 5:24
Rudy Nichols    
2     I Won't Cry Any More 4:22
Al Frisch / Fritz Wise    
3     Herman's Mambo 4:54
Herman Foster    
4     Peck Time 5:20
Lou Donaldson    
5     There'll Never Be Another You 5:06
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren    
6     Groove Junction 6:18
Lou Donaldson    
7     Grits And Gravy 6:17
Lou Donaldson
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Bass – 'Peck' Morrison
Congas – Ray Barretto
Drums – Dave Bailey
Piano – Herman Foster
Recorded By [Recording By], Remastered By – Rudy Van Gelder

LOU DONALDSON - Blues Walk (1958-2010) RM | SACD, Hybrid | The Blue Note Reissues | WV (image+.cue), lossless

Lou Donaldson's undisputed masterpiece, Blues Walk, marks the point where the altoist began to decisively modify his heavy Charlie Parker influence and add a smoky, bluesy flavor of his own. The material is still firmly in the bebop vein, and the mellower moments aren't as sleepy as some of Donaldson's subsequent work, so the album sounds vital and distinctive even as it slows down and loosens things up. That makes it the definitive release in Donaldson's early, pre-soul-jazz period, but what elevates Blues Walk to classic status is its inviting warmth. Donaldson's sweetly singing horn is ingratiating and melodic throughout the six selections, making even his most advanced ideas sound utterly good-natured and accessible. The easy-swinging title cut is a classic, arguably Donaldson's signature tune even above his late-'60s soul-jazz hits, and his other two originals -- "Play Ray" and "Callin' All Cats" -- are in largely the same vein. Elsewhere, Donaldson displays opposite extremes of his sound; the up-tempo bebop classic "Move" provokes his fieriest playing on the record, and his romantic version of "Autumn Nocturne" is simply lovely, a precursor to Lush Life. The addition of Ray Barretto on conga is a subtle masterstroke, adding just a bit more rhythmic heft to the relaxed swing. There are numerous likable records in Donaldson's extensive catalog, but Blues Walk is the best of them all. Steve Huey  
Tracklist :
1     Blues Walk 6:44
Lou Donaldson    
2     Move 5:54
Denzil Best    
3     The Masquerade Is Over 5:54
Herbert Magidson / Allie Wrubel    
4     Play Ray 5:32
Lou Donaldson    
5     Autumn Nocturne 4:55
Kim Gannon / Josef Myrow
6     Callin' All Cats 5:15
Lou Donaldson
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Bass – 'Peck' Morrison
Congas – Ray Barretto
Drums – Dave Bailey
Engineer [SACD Authoring] – Gus Skinas
Piano – Herman Foster
Recorded By – Rudy Van Gelder
Remastered By – Kevin Gray, Steve Hoffman

LOU DONALDSON - Light Foot (1959-2000) RM | 24 Bit By RVG | FLAC (tracks), lossless

In many ways, Blues Walk marked the culmination of Lou Donaldson's prime period as a hard-driving, straight-ahead bop saxophonist. Until that point, he had been turning out intense, furious bop workouts -- afterward, as its successor Light Foot shows, he began to slow down a bit. With Light Foot, Donaldson still was pretty firmly grounded in bop, but the tempos began to slow down, and his blues influence came to the forefront; furthermore, the bop tracks are hard bop, not straight bop, which tended to dominate his previous recordings. That diversity makes Light Foot an interesting listen, but the record suffers from slightly uneven material and performances. His quintet -- featuring pianist Herman Foster, bassist Peck Morrison, drummer Jimmy Wormsworth, and conga player Ray Barretto -- is usually up to the task at hand, but they tend to play conventionally. And, ultimately, that's what Light Foot is -- an entertaining but conventional release from an alto saxophonist capable of greatness. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracklist :
1     Light Foot 5:35
Lou Donaldson    
2     Hog Maw (False Start) 7:39
Lou Donaldson    
3     Mary Ann 6:41
Ray Charles    
4     Green Eyes 5:21
Nilo Menendez / Adolfo Utrera    
5     Walking by the River 5:39
Una Mae Carlisle / Robert Sour    
6     Day Dreams 5:39
Herman Foster    
7     Stella by Starlight 5:50
Ned Washington / Victor Young
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Bass – 'Peck' Morrison
Congas – Ray Barretto
Drums – Jimmy Wormworth
Piano – Herman Foster
Recorded By [Recording By], Remastered By – Rudy Van Gelder

LOU DONALDSON - Gravy Train (1962-2007) RM | RVG Edition | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Gravy Train is a fine, if not quite exceptional record from Lou Donaldson's initial soul-jazz phase of the early '60s. Actually, given the title and the period in which it was recorded, the album isn't quite as greasy and funky overall as one might expect; most of the repertoire is devoted to pop ballads and mid-tempo standards, the latter of which tends to bring out more of the bop elements in Donaldson's playing. That's not true for the entire album, though; the title cut is a laid-back, conga-tinged, bluesy groover in the classic Donaldson mold, even if it's a bit workmanlike. Donaldson's longtime pianist, Herman Foster, is allotted quite a bit of solo space here, and he concentrates more on thick, rippling chords than single-note lines. For his part, Donaldson's playing is pleasant, and the rest of the supporting group maintains a steady groove throughout. All of Donaldson's sessions from this period (Here 'Tis, The Natural Soul, Good Gracious) have enough worthwhile moments for devoted fans, and that's true of Gravy Train as well, though casual fans probably won't find it necessary enough to track down. Steve Huey
Tracklist :
1    Gravy Train 8:11
Composed By – Lou Donaldson
2    South Of The Border 5:28
Composed By – J. Kennedy, M. Carr
3    Polka Dots And Moonbeams 4:56
Composed By – J. Burke-J. Van Heusen
4    Avalon 4:11
Composed By – A. Jolson, V. Rose
5    Candy 9:14
Composed By – Kramer, Whitney, David
6    Twist Time 6:43
Composed By – Lou Donaldson
7    Glory Of Love 4:00
Composed By – Billy Hill
8    Gravy Train (Alternate Take) 7:28
Composed By – Lou Donaldson
9    Glory Of Love (Alternate Take) 3:49
Composed By – Billy Hill
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Bass – Ben Tucker
Congas – Alec Dorsey
Drums – Dave Bailey
Piano – Herman Foster
Recorded By, Remastered By [2007] – Rudy Van Gelder

LOU DONALDSON QUARTET - Forgotten Man (1981-2015) RM | Timeless Jazz Master Collection 7 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Altoist Lou Donaldson was never exactly a "forgotten man," but his boppish style had been largely overlooked since his commercial electric funk sessions for Blue Note in the early to mid-'70s. This is a straightahead acoustic quartet date with pianist Herman Foster (whose block chord solos on a couple of numbers are quite exciting), bassist Geoff Fuller and drummer Victor Jones. Donaldson romps through some bop standards, Tadd Dameron's lesser-known "This Is Happiness" and his own "Tracy" and takes a humorous vocal on "Whiskey Drinkin' Woman." Although not essential, this album should easily please Lou Donaldson's fans, for it finds him in exuberant form. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Confirmation 5:58
Charlie Parker    
2     Wiskey Drinkin' Woman 5:34
Lou Donaldson / Leon Spencer    
3     This Is Happiness 3:44
Tadd Dameron    
4     Tracy 4:37
Lou Donaldson    
5     Melancholy Baby 6:52
Ernie Burnett / George Norton    
6     Don't Blame Me 5:15
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh    
7     Exactly Like You 7:00
Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Bass – Jeff Fuller
Drums – Victor Jones
Piano – Herman Foster

LOU DONALDSON QUARTET - Live in Bologna (1984-2015) RM | Timeless Jazz Master Collection 38 | FLAC (tracks), lossless

A direct (musical) descendant of Bird, alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson has often been criticized for commercial concessions or for lack of imagination. Over a span of decades, his sound remained constant, rarely wavering from his initial bop conception. This set of standards is one of Donaldson's best recordings, in part due to the relaxed setting, but also because of the outstanding piano trio accompanying the saxophonist. Pianist Herman Foster is one of the underrated improvisers of the bop genre, and he, along with bassist Jeff Fuller and drummer Victor Jones, set a sophisticated, vibrant groove that meshes well with Donaldson's brand of straight-ahead blowing. While there is little to distinguish these interpretations of "Stella by Starlight" or "Summertime," the set as a whole has a joyous and even infectious exuberance that should provide an enjoyable, if light, listening experience. Steve Loewy
Tracklist :
1     Stella by Starlight 9:26
Ned Washington / Victor Young    
2     Groovin' High 8:30
Dizzy Gillespie          
3     Summertime 9:05
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin / DuBose Heyward
4     Lou's Blues 9:21
Lou Donaldson     
5     St. Thomas 6:11
Sonny Rollins    
6     Star Eyes 11:45
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson
Bass – Jeff Fuller
Drums – Victor Jones
Piano – Herman Foster