Lou Donaldson - The Complete Blue Note Lou Donaldson Sessions 1957-60 [2002] (6 x CDs)

SUNDAY JAZZ

LOU DONALDSON

Lou Donaldson - The Complete Blue Note Lou Donaldson Sessions 1957-60 [2002] (6 x CDs)

A sole 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.

Seven of the original sessions feature Donaldson in stripped down quartet formats, with conga player Ray Barretto added on occasion. Pianist Herman Foster is a mainstay on several of these dates and he shares a strong affinity with our leading man, especially on the albums Swing and Soul and Light-Foot. Of course, the cream of the crop in this category has to be Blues Walk, a certifiable Blue Note gem with bop ditties such as 'Move' and 'Callin' All Cats' mixing beautifully with lush ballad as found on 'The Masquerade Is Over' and 'Autumn Nocturne.' Never before available in the U.S. on disc, the transcendent L.D. + 3 should be considered the sleeper of these quartet/quintet sides, with Gene Harris and the Three Sounds helping to cast a bluish hue that finds Donaldson at his most sublime. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to suggest that this session alone is worth the price of admission. 

The rest of the set finds Donaldson working with larger groups, starting with 1957's Lou Takes Off. Strictly a blowing session, the four extended performances allow Donald Byrd, Curtis Fuller, and Donaldson to stretch out at length, with the rhythm section of Sonny Clark, George Joyner, and Art Taylor booting things along at a medium tempo for the most part. For Wailing With Lou, The Time Is Right, and Sunny Side Up, things revert to a quintet format that places trumpet and alto as the lead voices. The latter two albums are excellent Blue Note dates of the period that make the most of pianist Horace Parlan's bluesy grass roots approach. Plus, trumpeters Blue Mitchell and Bill Hardman make perfect foils to Donaldson in that each has a lyrical style that meshes beautifully with altoist's own melodic muse.

Closing this durable set and serving as a signpost of groovier things to come, namely the organ combo records that Donaldson would launch into beginning with The Natural Soul, 1960's Midnight Sun and the following year's Gravy Train, wrap up this set in a funky vein with Barretto (and Alec Dorsey on Gravy Train) back to add a little percussive spice. Pieces like 'Dog Walk,' 'Twist Time,' and 'Gravy Train' are modern blues numbers with just a touch of soul and a flavor that would make them jukebox classics at the time—their crossover appeal was very strong.

In typical Mosaic fashion, this set is housed in a 12 x 12-inch box (although the company now is not fastening the top and bottom sections of the box; the top simply slips on top of the bottom half). Along with the 24-bit sound in this package, a 16-page booklet includes original session photographs by Francis Wolff and commentary by Bob Blumenthal.  (allaboutjazz.com)

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Track lists

CD01

01 Lou Donaldson - Sputnik 10:04

02 Lou Donaldson - Dewey Square 7:17

03 Lou Donaldson - Strollin' In 14:37

04 Lou Donaldson - Groovin' High 6:25

05 Lou Donaldson - Three Little Words 6:18

06 Lou Donaldson - Smooth Groove 5:51

07 Lou Donaldson - Just Friends 5:11

08 Lou Donaldson - Blue Moon 3:04

09 Lou Donaldson - Jump Up 6:32

10 Lou Donaldson - Don't Take Your Love From Me 5:50

11 Lou Donaldson - Confirmation 5:32

CD02

01 Lou Donaldson - Dorothy 5:23

02 Lou Donaldson - I Won't Cry Anymore 4:21

03 Lou Donaldson - Herman's Mambo 4:53

04 Lou Donaldson - Peck Time 5:21

05 Lou Donaldson - There Will Never Be Another You 5:06

06 Lou Donaldson - Groove Junction 6:17

07 Lou Donaldson - Grits And Gravy 6:19

08 Lou Donaldson - There Will Never Be Another You (Mono) 7:21

09 Lou Donaldson - Blues Walk 6:35

10 Lou Donaldson - Move 5:53

11 Lou Donaldson - The Masquerade Is Over 5:52

12 Lou Donaldson - Play Ray 5:23

13 Lou Donaldson - Autumn Nocturne 4:54

14 Lou Donaldson - Callin' All Cats 5:14

CD03

01 Lou Donaldson - Light Foot 5:34

02 Lou Donaldson - Hog Maw (False Start) 1:18

03 Lou Donaldson - Hog Maw 6:21

04 Lou Donaldson - Mary Ann 6:43

05 Lou Donaldson - Green Eyes 5:20

06 Lou Donaldson - Walkin' By The River 5:38

07 Lou Donaldson - Day Dreams 5:01

08 Lou Donaldson - Stella By Starlight 5:52

09 Lou Donaldson - Jump Up 5:05

10 Lou Donaldson - Mary Ann (Alt Tk) 6:03

11 Lou Donaldson - Stella By Starlight 5:53

12 Lou Donaldson - Candy 6:14

13 Lou Donaldson - Midnight Sun 5:47

14 Lou Donaldson - Avalon 5:17

CD04

01 Lou Donaldson - The Squirrel 3:36

02 Lou Donaldson - Si Si Safronia 4:33

03 Lou Donaldson - Exactly Like You 5:05

04 Lou Donaldson - Dog Walk 4:25

05 Lou Donaldson - Gravy Train 8:17

06 Lou Donaldson - South Of The Border 5:32

07 Lou Donaldson - Polka Dots And Moonbeams 4:59

08 Lou Donaldson - Avalon 4:15

09 Lou Donaldson - Candy 9:18

10 Lou Donaldson - Twist Time 6:47

11 Lou Donaldson - Glory Of Love 4:04

12 Lou Donaldson - Gravy Train (Alt Tk) 7:33

13 Lou Donaldson - Glory Of Love (Alt Tk) 3:49

CD05

01 Lou Donaldson - Caravan 5:57

02 Lou Donaldson - Old Folks 6:21

03 Lou Donaldson - That Good Old Feeling 6:52

04 Lou Donaldson - Move It 5:56

05 Lou Donaldson - There Is No Greater Love 6:54

06 Lou Donaldson - L.D. Blues 5:20

07 Lou Donaldson - Stella By Starlight 7:45

08 Lou Donaldson - L.D. Blues (Fast Version) 4:21

09 Lou Donaldson - Lou's Blues 5:57

10 Lou Donaldson - Be My Love 5:45

11 Lou Donaldson - Idaho 5:10

12 Lou Donaldson - The Nearness Of You 4:40

CD06

01 Lou Donaldson - Mack The Knife 5:16

02 Lou Donaldson - Crosstowm Shuffle 5:14

03 Lou Donaldson - Tangerine 4:58

04 Lou Donaldson - Blues For J.P. 5:39

05 Lou Donaldson - The Man I Love 5:14

06 Lou Donaldson - Politely 5:53

07 Lou Donaldson - It's You Or No One 3:59

08 Lou Donaldson - The Truth 5:22

09 Lou Donaldson - Goose Grease 6:07

10 Lou Donaldson - Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise 6:35

11 Lou Donaldson - Way Down Upon The Swanee River 5:39

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