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Lou Donaldson RIP


EKE BBB

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I saw him several times. 
I must admit, since my early years when I heard his contributions on a Monk-Session for Blue Note (I think the one with "Carolina Moon", with Max Roach) I didn´t know nothing about him until there appeared an album "Forgotten Man", since that it is what it seemed at that time. 
We of my generation didn´t know nothing about all his BN recordings, since the only BN reissue, those ugly paper bag design covers of double albums it seems did not have a Lou Donaldson reissue, and it was almost impossible to find individual BN records on the record shops, they seemed to be OOP. 
So the first time I heard him was in 1985 and since he still was not better known by the young generation, he played in a smaller hall of that huge festival, and worst still, on the same time was Jackie McLean in the middle sized hall, and Pharoah Sanders in the big hall. So I had to skip them, heard the first few tunes of McLean at Hall B, took a stroll to Hall C where Lou Donaldson played (I remember a very fast Cheek to Cheek and "Wee") and first heard his eternal commentary "not recommended to fusion and confusion players". Then I finally caught the second set of Pharoah at Hall A. 

Later the years I heard him often, first still with the eternal Herman Foster (I would have preferred a more sensible player), and the last time with some nice japoneze girl on organ, but more or less monotonous drumming.....

One thing about him, like about Eddy Lockjaw Davis. They seemed to keep the groove they started and were masters in it. They never created something new but it was not necesary for them. You could identify them on a blindfold test within 2 seconds, and went to there concerts or gigs because you liked it and wanted to have some time of just feelin´ good. Not to figure nothin out, just to have a nice time, it was always the occasions where I´d take a chick to the show than other gigs I prefered to hear alone.....

I think he was one of the very very few guys who never touched all those drugs but played with all those who very heavy users......, if not drugs then booze. Lou was steady and maybe very near to the end still playing.... 

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RIP, but what a run he had.

Lou used to (I'm thinking 1990s) call in to Tony Paige at "WFAN sports radio" in NYC and have some great conversations.

Sadly, audio seems to have vanished from the interwebs, just a few short transcripts remain. IIRC one episode featured (among other things) recollections of the 1954 "The Catch" World Series game that he attended at the Polo Grounds.

The above "sammich" link doesn't work for me either. I'd gotten the impression the original thread disappeared years ago. You might be able to find later posts that quote it, but it'd be a big effort.

Edited by T.D.
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I thought the link had been working and now it doesn't The thread was from this google search, <Link Deleted on Request>

And from there I used the option to "share" the link to bookmark the specific Rooster Ties contribution which was a copy/paste job from the original, or else from the Way Back Machine?

Very weird. It was a fun trip down "memory" lane.

Edited by Dan Gould
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6 minutes ago, The Magnificent Goldberg said:

Oh! I saw him twice at the Village Vanguard in 2010. On stage, he was lovely. In the toilet, he was just another guy having a piddle.

Love still.

MG 

MG IN DA HOUSE!

People been wondering about you, good to see you!

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38 minutes ago, The Magnificent Goldberg said:

Oh! I saw him twice at the Village Vanguard in 2010. On stage, he was lovely. In the toilet, he was just another guy having a piddle.

Love still.

MG 

+1 from Dan's comment. You've been missed.

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Thank you for the music,  Poppa Lou!

I was very fortunate to catch him live back in 2008 (Aug 21st) with Jazzmobile. I was a bit late and a bit lost in the middle of Co-op City when a police officer on a segway drove straight at me shouting "Are you here for the Jazz thing? ".  A lovely evening.

 

 

lou.jpg

 

lou2.jpg

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