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Lou
Donaldson Quartet featuring Akiko Tsuruga Initially a clarinetist, Donaldson switched to saxophone when he was in the Navy—the dance band needed a sax player. He was signed to Blue Note after moving to New York in 1950. One of Donaldson’s most memorable appearances on record early on in his career was while playing with Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, Horace Silver and Tommy Potter (the future The Jazz Messengers). The live recording of the show, 1954’s “A Night in Birdland,” is a classic. |
With an emphasis on feel, Donaldson was
one of the first bandleaders to
add Latin percussion to his band (Ray Baretto in 1958). Donaldson
then
developed a blues-based jazz organ trio sound, a style dubbed “soul
jazz” with
which he is identifi ed to this day. His blues flavored phrasing
coupled with
the funky rhythmic backdrop of the Hammond B3 caught on big, attracting
a
new audience for Donaldson and crossover chart success with CD’s
such as “Alligator Boogaloo.” As Donaldson said in an
interview with All About Jazz: “Blues is the backbone, and
if you don’t have it in jazz
it’s like taking sugar out
of a cake. So I think that’s why my old music still sells,
because it has blues
feeling and it swings.”