BLP 4025

Lou Donaldson - The Time Is Right

Released - March 1960

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, October 31, 1959
Blue Mitchell, trumpet #1,3-6; Lou Donaldson, alto sax; Horace Parlan, piano; Laymon Jackson as Jack Laymon, bass; Dave Bailey, drums; Ray Barretto, congas.

tk.4 Mack The Knife
tk.6 Be My Love
tk.8 Crosstown Shuffle
tk.12 Tangerine
tk.13 Lou's Blues
tk.19 The Nearness Of You

Session Photos

Photos: © Francis Wolff/Mosaic Images 

https://www.mosaicrecordsimages.com/

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
Lou's Blues	Lou Donaldson	31/10/1959
Be My Love	Nicholas Brodszky, Sammy Cahn	31/10/1959
Idaho	Jesse Stone	31/10/1959
The Nearness of You	Hoagy Carmichael, Ned Washington	31/10/1959
Side Two
Mack the Knife	Marc Blitzstein, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill	31/10/1959
Crosstown Shuffle	Lou Donaldson	31/10/1959
Tangerine	Johnny Mercer, Victor Schertzinger	31/10/1959

Liner Notes

Over seven years ago Lou Donaldson and Blue Mitchell recorded together. The results can still be heard on Blue Note 1537. Blue was then working with Earl Bostic and was well known only in Miami and certain musicians’ circles in the East. Lou, on the other hand, was scuffling away in New York, trying to carve out a place in the jazz world for himself. Although he had been recorded by Blue Note before, he too was forced to play r&b-r&r for a living.

Now after some years of dues-paying, Lou and Blue are reunited: Lou, the leader of his own quintet at jazz clubs like the Half Note, Five Spot, Play House and Count Basie’s; Blue, a featured soloist with the Horace Silver group. As their fortunes have changed, so have elements in their playing.

I remember hearing If I Love Again, a number from the original Donaldson-Mitchell session, on the radio shortly after its release. Trumpeter Mitchell, unbilled by the dj, had several of us thinking he was Miles Davis by some of the typical Milesian licks (of that time) he incorporated into his solo. Today he doesn’t sound like Miles, old or new, nor does he show an overwhelming debt to Clifford Brown, a later influence. To top this off, Blue manages a Navarroan flow without copying Fats. Here, as in his recent Blue Note recordings with Silver, he offers distinct individuality within his precise attack and warm sound.

Donaldson, although he too has matured, has not changed his basic style at all but rather has deepened and broadened its channel. Lou always played his own version of the Charlie Parker idiom with wry comments and personal sound setting him apart from those who were trying to duplicate Bird exactly. Now his tone is even sweeter and more mellifluous than is associated with this style and yet does not take on aspects of Benny Carter or Johnny Hodges. He is also more on rapport with his instrument In other ways. Lou’s articulation has become extremely polished; his well-constructed phrases emanate in an easy manner but are never slick.

The individual rhythmic conception of each soloist (Jud supporting player is excellent. This is evident from the opening bars of the infectiously swinging Lox/s Blues (dig Lou's strolling choruses here that begin his solo). In jazz parlance the quality they possess is referred to as good ”time”, hence The Time is Right or one of the several meanings this title has. The ”time" is also ”right" because congero Ray Barretto is a ”jazz" player who works along with the regular drummer (in this case, Dave Bailey), enhancing the pulse behind the soloists rather than setting up Latin counter rhythms. Ray, who played with jazz groups before he ever worked in a Latin band, is pleasantly present on two previous Donaldson LPs (Swing And Soul, Blue Note 1566; Blues Walk, Blue Note 1593). In The Time is Right, he takes time out from fleshing out the rhythm section to finger some intelligent ”fours” on Idaho and Tangerine.

Horace Parlan’s playing has revealed an admiration for another Horace in the past. You can hear that he still digs Silver but his personalized chordal approach which alternates with his single-line attack points up the fact that Parlan parle in his own way. Heard importantly with Charlie Mingus in the late 50s, he has been with Donaldson for the past year. His longest time in the solo spotlight here is on Be My Love which he shares with Lou as Blue rests. On Crosstown Shuffle, another of Lou's blues, he weaves in a portion of Every Day in a warming manner at the end of his solo. When bassist Layman Jackson begins his hit by quoting from The Hymn, we have a miniature blues anthology before us in quick review.

Jackson, from Atlanta, Ga., who has also been heard playing an eloquent tuba in ion performances, is a strong and sure rhythm player and achieves a perfect blend with Parlan, Bailey and Barretto.

Drummer Bailey, known widely for his work in the Gerry Mulligan quartet, was until recently a member of the Jazztet (Art Farmer - Benny Golson). He is no stranger to Blue Note listeners, having been heard on the two Donaldson LPs referred to in the paragraph concerning Barretto.

Unlike many albums whose title is also the name of one of the songs contained within, The Time Is Right does not appear on any of the numbers. However, as an encompassing subtitle, it applies to all of them: the blues; the swinging standards like Tangerine, Be My Love and Idaho; the ballad, Nearness of You, where Blue is muted and Lou literally sings through his horn; the benevolent cutting edge of the lilting Mock The Knife.

You've heard it said of various jazz LPs, ”This is great to wake up to” or ”I dig this one in the late evening - early morning hours.” With Lou Donaldson and his watch-men in charge of the clock, anytime you play this one the time will be right.

- IRA GITLER

Cover Photo by FRANCIS WOLFF
Cover Design by REID MILES
Recording by RUDY VAN GELDER