Lou Donaldson
Alto Sax Solo on
If I Had You

About

Lou Donaldson takes the sole solo on this recording, improvising for three-quarters of the form on alto sax at approximately 83 BPM. Set within a ballad setting, the 32-bar AABA form and the key of B♭, the solo allows for nuanced, expressive phrasing. Ted Shapiro's 32-bar AABA standard is taken at approximately 83 bpm in B-flat, with alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson delivering the sole improvised solo over three-quarters of a chorus. The slow tempo creates space for expressive, carefully shaped phrases. "If I Had You" is a tender ballad performance from A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 by the Art Blakey Quintet, recorded live in 1954.

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