Lou Donaldson - Alligator Bogaloo
Released - August 1967
Recording and Session Information
Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, April 7, 1967
Melvin Lastie, cornet #1-4,6; Lou Donaldson, alto sax; Lonnie Smith, organ; George Benson, guitar; Leo Morris, drums.
1867 tk.4 One Cylinder
1868 tk.6 Aw Shucks!
1869 tk.8 Alligator Bogaloo
1870 tk.15 Rev. Moses
1871 tk.17 I Want A Little Girl
1872 tk.18 The Thang
Session Photos
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| George Benson |
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| Idris Muhammad |
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| Melvin Lastie |
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| Lou Donaldson |
Track Listing
| Side One | ||
| Title | Author | Recording Date |
| Alligator Bogaloo | Lou Donaldson | April 7 1967 |
| One Cylinder | Freddie McCoy | April 7 1967 |
| The Thang | Lou Donaldson | April 7 1967 |
| Side Two | ||
| Aw Shucks! | Lonnie Smith | April 7 1967 |
| Rev. Moses | Lou Donaldson | April 7 1967 |
| I Want a Little Girl | Murray Mencher, Billy Moll | April 7 1967 |
Liner Notes
LOU DONALDSON is back. He has returned to the Blue Note label, where he scored notable triumphs in jazz recordings by recording some of the leading best selling albums in their catalogue.
As one of the chief ambassadors of the "people to people" type of jazz communication this alto saxophonist, who has shown great concern for continuing the tradition of combining the old with the new, celebrates his homecoming with a new album that promises to continue his prominent position as one of the outstanding contributors to the sound of happy jazz.
Over the years, as most liner note annotators of the Blue Note albums have documented, Lou Donaldson has been consistent in his sound, and constant in his approach in developing a style that has met With vast approval by the jazz public.
A review of the history of Lou Donaldson in jazz has brought an almost unanimous opinion by writers and reviewers that Lou Donaldson is a member Of that diminishing breed of jazz purveyors who register no fear of swing and are delighted for the opportunity to communicate with the listeners.
If there is any criticism of Lou, the commentator looking for his critique would observe that Lou Donaldson is not a flashy personality and unlike many of his jazz constituents avoids the glare of public controversy. He does little in the way of fabricating an image that will motivate a writer to create readable and colorful misimpressions. Nor does he lean on any crutch except to allow his music to speak for Lou Donaldson the musician and Lou Donaldson the man.
As with every excellent artist with something important to say, it is necessary to dig beneath the surface. For great artists manage somehow to convey a simplicity that many times defies a definitive explanation. Because they do things simply and do it well, without the embellishment geared to the hungry' readers who want to titillate their appetites with the unsavory or the forbidden, the true artist most times must wait almost a lifetime to receive his just due.
A look at the alto saxophonists on the jazz scene today will immediately attest to the fact that Lou is high up on the list of the top ten. His perch on the ladder is far from a precarious one for he has well earned his musical letters with such masters as Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt and others. He has also been one Of the important veterans who has not feared the rush of oncoming youth. Rather he has taken the time to introduce them and given them the advantage of being exposed with him as contributing members of his album dates. In this current album, Lou has once again merged his talents with rising young iazz stars in George Benson, guitar; Lonnie Smith, organ and Melvin Lastie, Sr., cornet.
The three youngsters are recent alumni of Rhythm and Blues, which has proven its close kinship to jazz. George began as an R & B singer and guitarist before settling on the guitar fulltime where he earned much attention for a few years as guitarist with Brother Jack McDuff. During his tenure with Brother McDuff, he proved to be a consistently hard and cooking swinger. And with the McDuff group playing the music rooms throughout the country that catered to patrons Who liked a good blend of ballad jazz and blues, George learned his craft well. so well in fact that he was pegged to work the Guitar Workshop at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1966 and according to the well regarded jazz pianist and broadcaster Billy Taylor, Who produced the workshop, "George broke it up."
When he formed his own group upon leaving McDuff, he hired Lonnie Smith, Who was waiting for the opportunity to become a full fledged member Of the jazz academy. Since then, the two have been in the forefront of one of jazzdom's most exciting young groups on the East Coast, playing to SRO houses at Count Basie's, Minton's Playhouse and Club Baron in New York.
Melvin Lastie, Sr. was a stellar member of a group led by Willie BOb0, the Boss of Latin Soul. The group had a big seller in Know, which rested on the charts for a number of weeks. Melvin, known as the preacher to his musical constituents, has a big, fiery sound that is brassy and full. He is one of the last of the practicing cornetists in the business.
With the addition of Leo Morris, who has learned that drummers must do more than "kick" but must be musical in their sound as well as punctuate, Lou Donaldson has formed a group that has produced six illuminating sides in this album.
Lou, still the masterful writer, has come up with three originals for this date: Alligator Bogaloo, the title tune, The Thong and Rev. Moses. Alligator Bogaloo will no doubt take its place alongside other Donaldsonian compositions such as Blues Walk, Gravy Train, and the works on his Natural Soul album (Blue Note 4108).
For here, Lou digs in ever mindful that the trend of America today is to move back on the dance floor that was vacated for too long a period. Yet, there is no compromise of musical validity here. It is simply groovy jazz With an accented beat that, like all Lou's music, makes you want to pat your foot and allow your body to become caught up in the rhythm. Lou, Melvin, George and Lonnie each has his say, giving equal voicing to a tune that spells out the musical theme of the album.
Freddie McCoy a young vibist out of Newark, New Jersey, wrote One Cylinder. The organ and drums lay down the beat with the horns and guitar coming in in unison, followed by individual choruses from each of the front section. The overlay of the solos on the constant beat gives it a continuous stop and go feeling.
The Thong is a straight ahead swinger With, again, the emphasis on the back beat. Neither complicated to understand or to feel, it is the type of tune that points to what is happening in jazz today in that R & B and jazz are becoming a compatible duo.
AW Shucks! gives the young Mr. Smith, (no blood relation, but musically related, to the master Of the organ, James Oscar, or Johnny Hammond Smith) an opportunity to display his writing talent. He shows he is deeply immersed in the blues and has listened closely to the veterans of the organ and has learned his lessons well.
Rev. Moses may or may not be a fictional character. But there is no doubt Lou has an affection for the soulful and priestly duties of the men of the cloth. This is a gospel tinged but blues baptized offering that gives evidence of his discipleship.
There are few masters of the ballad that Lou has to bow to. On I Want a Little Girl, his alto speaks warmly and with compassion.
Alligator Bogaloo is another impressive offering of Lou Donaldson's that gives proof that his ear is attuned to the happenings of today and yet does not alter his position in jazz as one of the outstanding proponents of the "people to people" jazz he communicates.
—DEL SHIELDS, Executive Vice President
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF RADIO ANNOUNCERS. WLIB.FM
George Benson and Lonnie Smith perform by courtesy of Columbia Records.
Cover Photo Design by REID MILES
Recording by RUDY VAN GELDER
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