Lou Donaldson
Alto Sax Solo on
Wee-Dot

About

Lou Donaldson opens the solo section on alto sax, stretching out for eight choruses at approximately 252 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 12-bar Blues form and the key of B♭, the solo navigates the chord changes with purpose. As the first voice heard after the head, Donaldson sets the improvisational tone before passing to Clifford Brown. "Wee-Dot" from A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 is the primary take of this bebop blues by J.J. The up-tempo pulse drives the improvisation forward with momentum. Johnson and Leo Parker, performed live by the Art Blakey Quintet in 1954.

Lou Donaldson was 27 to 28 years old at the time.