Lou Donaldson
Alto Sax Solo on
Lou's Blues

About

Lou Donaldson opens the solo section on alto sax, stretching out for five choruses at approximately 317 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 12-bar Blues form and the key of B♭, the solo tests the player's command at high velocity. As the first voice heard after the head, Donaldson sets the improvisational tone before passing to Clifford Brown. "Lou's Blues" is a burning blues original by alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson from A Night at Birdland Vol. 2, recorded live by the Art Blakey Quintet in 1954. At this breakneck pace, the soloist must balance technical dexterity with coherent musical ideas.

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