Lou Donaldson
Alto Sax Solo on
Quicksilver

About

Lou Donaldson opens the solo section on alto sax, stretching out for two choruses at approximately 304 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 64-bar AABA form and the key of A♭, the solo tests the player's command at high velocity. As a contrafact on "Lover, Come Back to Me," the underlying harmony is well-trodden territory, giving the soloist a sturdy platform for creative exploration. As the first voice heard after the head, Donaldson sets the improvisational tone before passing to Clifford Brown. "Quicksilver" (Alternate Take) from A Night at Birdland Vol. 2 is a second look at Horace Silver's contrafact on "Lover, Come Back to Me," performed live by the Art Blakey Quintet in 1954.

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