BLP 1593

Lou Donaldson - Blues Walk

Released - June 1959

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ, July 28, 1958
Lou Donaldson, alto sax; Herman Foster, piano; Peck Morrison, bass; Dave Bailey, drums; Ray Barretto, congas.

tk.2 Play Ray
tk.5 The Masquerade Is Over
tk.10 Autumn Nocturne
tk.11 Callin' All Cats
tk.13 Move
tk.15 Blues Walk

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
Blues Walk	Lou Donaldson	28/07/1958
Move	Denzil Best	28/07/1958
The Masquerade Is Over	Herb Magidson, Allie Wrubel	28/07/1958
Side Two
Play Ray	Lou Donaldson	28/07/1958
Autumn Nocturne	Josef Myrow, Kim Gannon	28/07/1958
Callin' All Cats	Lou Donaldson	28/07/1958

Credits

Cover Photo:	FRANCIS WOLFF
Cover Design:
Engineer:	RUDY VAN GELDER
Producer:	ALFRED LION
Liner Notes:	IRA GITLER

Liner Notes

In closing the notes for Lou Donaldson's next to last album, Swing And Soul (BLP 1566), I stated, "Lou has reached a new level of performance; it's a high one." Metronome magazine obviously thought so too; they made it an album of the month.

In Blues Walk, utilizing the same personnel that swung with soul in BLP 1566, Lou has maintained that excellent level. The Donaldson horn represents a musician who has matured in his chosen field past the point of mere competence. Lou just plays jazz in a straightforward manner without resorting to gimmicks. The jazz "fans" of Timex TV and Broadway show tune ilk like their cup of jazz tea with saccharine and some seven layer, whipped cream cake on the side. Our new jazz audience is being brought up without any background in the basic brand of music which has represented jazz from the beginning. Perhaps a reason for the relative small amount of talk about Lou is that he never toured extensively with his group but has preferred to play in the East.

This is the third liner I have written concerning the music of Lou Donaldson. Add to this the times I have listened to him on other recordings and in person. I believe I'm qualified as at least a minor expert on L.D. Certainly, I am conversant with his manner of playing.

When a musician solos it is akin to someone speaking. Just as you recognize people by the timbre of their voices, their inflections and the verbal expressions peculiar to them, so can you identify different musicians after you have become familiar with their playing "voices" and styles. Lou, like any other jazz musician, has some characteristic turns of phrase (I'm referring specifically to the little "turns" he uses) that are like the ands, buts, ofs and withs of conversation. He also likes to insert quotes from other songs; a sort of musical punning which, in some ways, is an extension of his mordant wit. Some that he has employed are excerpts from Swinging On A Star (later incorporated into a completely new blues, Peck Time, which he played in Swing And Soul), Sabre Dance, The Continental, etc. Although he is descendant, in the main, from Charlie Parker, Donaldson has his own things to say in this style.

As I mentioned earlier, the same personnel which has accompanied Lou before, both on record and in person, is present here.

Herman Foster, the 30 year old, blind pianist was born in Philadelphia but now makes his home in New York. Herman is a good accompanist and in his solos, divided between single lines and block chords, suggests some of his favorite pianists; Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner.

The conga player is Ray Barretto who prefers to play jazz rather than work with Latin bands. Ray shows, as he did in Swing And Soul, the way to make the conga valid in a jazz context. He knows how to complement the regular jazz drummer and also plays intelligent solos. Ray was born in New York in 1929 and actually played with jazz groups before 1954, the year he began working with Tito Puente et al.

Bassist "Peck" Morrison is a native Pennsylvanian (Lancaster, 1919) who studied music while attending high school in New York's Westchester county. He has played with Tiny Bradshaw, Jay & Kai, Gerry Mulligan and Johnny Smith, in addition to Donaldson. He is a valuable rhythmic supporter.

Dave Bailey, not to be confused with Jimmy Smith's Donald Bailey, has done most of his playing, since 1955, with Gerry Mulligan. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia in 1926, he studied drums under the Gl bill at the New York Music Center Conservatory in the early Fifties. Dave, who has also appeared in person with Al Sears, Johnny Hodges and Charlie Mingus, lists his favorite drummers as Blakey, Roach, Philly Joe Jones, Art Taylor, Ed Thigpen, Elvin Jones and Ron Jefferson.

The title tune, 8lues Walk, a Donaldson minor blues line, starts everything rocking. Morrison, Bailey and Barretto really lay that beat down with Ray strong on two and four. While this is going on, Donaldson is soaring, singing and wailing. Foster follows with typical single line and tremolant chordal attacks. After Bailey and Barretto exchange ideas, Lou returns.

Denzil Best's Move is taken at its word as Lou flys first; then effectively strolls after Herman's mixture.

Donaldson swings The Masquerade Is Over away from its usual ballad tempo in a lilting manner. As in Move, he comes back for a stroll after Foster's portion. The tune really lends itself to a superior performance by Lou.

Side two opens on Play Ray, a Donaldson blues whose melody is stated by Barretto playing a three-note melodic figure on his conga and Lou answering him. Foster solos first followed by Lou. A walking two choruses by Morrison precede breaks by the two drummers.

Autumn Nocturne is a tender, sweet but never sticky ballad rendition by Donaldson. If some of the so-called "jazz" vocalists who have cropped up in increasing numbers in years, could learn anything from Lou here, they might improve themselves. Foster has a Garnerized bit separating Lou's two statements.

Donaldson's cooking riffer, Callin' All Cats is a fine finisher to a well-paced set. Lou and Herman have the first solos; then the leader strolls. Peck and Ray exchange four bar thoughts for a chorus followed by Lou and Dave in the same format for another one. Bailey also handles the bridge in the final melody statement as all cats are counted and accounted for.

The most successful type of major league baseball team can usually point to a strong farm system as one of the main reasons for prolonged success. The parent team is constantly stocked with players developed within its own organization. It takes good scouts ("ivory hunters" they are called in baseball circles) to find this talent. Blue Note has got a good scout (and manager) in Alfred Lion, as witness the parade of home-grown talent on the Blue Note roster. Horace Silver, Jimmy Smith, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan and, the man in motion on this album, Lou Donaldson are all good examples. These players were first introduced on the Blue Note label and have developed into major leaguers here.

- IRA GITLER

Cover Photo by FRANCIS WOLFF
Recording by RUDY VAN GELDER