Lou Donaldson
Alto Sax
November 9, 2024 (Age 98) died
November 1, 1926 Birthday
Badin, North Carolina, U.S. Birthplace
loudonaldson.com Website
Shows
About
Lou Donaldson was an alto saxophonist whose blues-drenched, soulful sound helped define hard bop and soul jazz over a career spanning seven decades. A key figure on Blue Note Records from 1952 to 1974, he introduced approximately fifty musicians to the label, including Clifford Brown, Horace Silver, Grant Green, and Dr. Lonnie Smith. His 1958 composition "Blues Walk" became his signature tune, while the 1967 hit "Alligator Bogaloo" brought him crossover commercial success and later became one of the most sampled jazz recordings in hip-hop history, used by A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, Nas, and many others. Named an NEA Jazz Master in 2013, Donaldson was also inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. He recorded prolifically as both a leader and sideman, collaborating extensively with organist Jimmy Smith and leading organ-saxophone quintets that became incubators for emerging talent.
Trivia
Donaldson was a talented baseball player in college at North Carolina A&T, with aspirations of playing in the major leagues until an injury ended those dreams. His senior thesis, "The Change from Swing to Bebop," was so well-regarded that it became required reading for music majors at his alma mater. In 1963, he moved to "The Valley" neighborhood in the Bronx, where local hip-hop pioneers would later cite his soul-jazz sound as a direct influence on the genre's birth.
Early Life
Born on November 1, 1926, in Badin, North Carolina, Lou Donaldson grew up in a musically rich household. His mother, Lucy Wallace Donaldson, was a concert pianist, teacher, and musical director at Badin High School. His father, Louis Andrew Donaldson Sr., was an AME Zion minister. Young Lou first showed his talent by memorizing piano etudes he overheard his mother teaching. She steered him toward the clarinet, obtaining one from a local band director. At fifteen he enrolled at North Carolina A&T College, playing clarinet in the marching band and performing with the Rhythm Vets combo. Drafted into the Navy in 1945, he joined the Great Lakes Naval Training Center band alongside Clark Terry and Ernie Wilkins. While on liberty in Chicago he first heard Charlie Parker, an encounter that led him to switch to alto saxophone and commit to bebop. He graduated from North Carolina A&T in 1948.
Lou Donaldson Solos
1954
Alto Sax solo - Split Kick - 1954
4/4 swing in E♭ major at 220 BPM
Alto Sax solo - Quicksilver - 1954
4/4 swing in D major at 267 BPM
Alto Sax solo - A Night In Tunisia - 1954
4/4 swing in D minor at 196 BPM
Alto Sax solo - Mayreh - 1954
4/4 swing in F major at 277 BPM
Alto Sax solo - Wee-Dot - 1954
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 270 BPM
Alto Sax solo - Blues - 1954
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 78 BPM
Alto Sax solo - Wee-Dot - 1954
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 252 BPM
Alto Sax solo - If I Had You - 1954
4/4 ballad in B♭ major at 83 BPM
Alto Sax solo - Quicksilver - 1954
4/4 swing in A♭ major at 304 BPM
Alto Sax solo - Now's The Time - 1954
4/4 swing in F major at 161 BPM
Alto Sax solo - Confirmation - 1954
4/4 swing in F major at 253 BPM
Alto Sax solo - The Way You Look Tonight - 1954
4/4 swing in F major at 310 BPM
Alto Sax solo - Lou's Blues - 1954
4/4 swing in B♭ major at 317 BPM