Lou Donaldson

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Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson checking out a Mike LeDonne solo
Background information
Born	November 1, 1926 (1926-11-01) (age 81)
Origin	Badin, North Carolina, U.S.
Genre(s)	Bebop, hard bop, jazz blues, soul jazz
Occupation(s)	Bandleader, composer, saxophonist
Instrument(s)	Alto saxophone
Years active	1952–present

Lou Donaldson (born November 1, 1926) is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker's improvisational approach.

His first recordings were with bop emissaries Milt Jackson and Thelonious Monk in 1952, and he led several small groups with other jazz luminaries such as trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Horace Silver, and drummer Art Blakey.

In 1953, he also recorded sessions with the trumpet virtuoso Clifford Brown, and Philly Joe Jones. In 1954, Donaldson briefly joined the emerging hard bop ensemble, the Jazz Messengers, and appeared on one of their most popular albums, A Night At Birdland.

Although he has recorded as a sideman, he has never belonged to any band other than those of which he was leader; he has been a bandleader since the mid-1950s. He has recorded in the bop, hard bop, and soul jazz genres. For many years his pianist was Herman Foster.

Donaldson plays a Selmer alto saxophone, fitted with a Meyer 5 mouthpiece and Rico 2 Reeds.

[edit] Quotations

Horace Parlan:

“

One of the unique qualities of Lou's work is that he incorporates a great deal of the whole jazz tradition in his playing. He's listened to just about everyone, and not only alto players. With this knowledge of the entire jazz language, Lou is definitely an individual voice.

”

Lou Donaldson:

“

I don't care what kind of style a group plays as long as they settle into a groove where the rhythm keeps building instead of changing around. It's like the way an African hits a drum. He hits it a certain way, and after a period of time, you feel it more than you did when he first started. He's playing the same thing, but the quality is different -- it's settled into a groove. It's like settin' tobacco in a pipe. You put some heat on it and make it expand. After a while, it's there. It's tight.

”