The jazz world suffers another blow as we mourn the loss of acclaimed alto saxophonist, composer and NEA Jazz Master Lou Donaldson, who passed away on November 9 at the age of 98 after a brief illness. Best known as the originator of “soul jazz,” Donaldson is widely created for blending jazz with various other genres including soul and bebop, which prompted the ascent of the “Hard Bop” Revolution of the 1950s and 1960s.
His family announced his passing on his official website, stating:
The Family of Sweet Poppa Lou Donaldson sadly confirms his death on November 9, 2024. A private service will be held. Thank you for your support of Lou and his music throughout his career. Because of you, his legendary contributions to Jazz will live on forever.
Born Louis Andrew Donaldson on November 1, 1926 in Badin, North Carolina, he was the son of a minister father and a mother who was an elementary school teacher and a piano instructor. As a child, Donaldson resisted piano lessons and opted to participate in sports. However, it was his exposure to gospel music that inspired him to take clarinet lessons. He attended North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro where he studied classical music and deepened his music knowledge. Donaldson was drafted in the U.S. Navy during World Ward II and was stationed in Chicago where he was introduced to bebop music through the city’s jazz scene. It was Chicago that would shape Donaldson as a saxophonist, an instrument he had never played prior to his move to the city.
Entirely self-taught, Donaldson would practice playing the saxophone by listening to music on the radio, attending different clubs regularly and joining a jazz band which included d trumpeters Clark Terry and Wendell Culley, saxophonist Ernie Wilkins. After the war, Donaldson returned to North Carolina to continue his studies and in 1949, he moved to New York City.
It was New York City that would develop Donaldson into the jazz musician he became to be. While making his rounds in the city’s eclectic jazz scene, Donaldson caught the attention of Blue Note Records founder Alfred Lion who later invited him to be a session player for the artists on the label. His first recording was in April 1952 as a sideman for Milt Jackson’s Blue Note debut featuring John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke. He would later record with other prominent musicians such as Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Jimmy Smith. His debut album as bandleader, New Faces New Sounds, would be release a year later. He would go on to release over 70 albums with his final one back in 1999.
Known for his soulful approach to jazz, Donaldson was considered a pioneer in jazz fusion, often blending jazz with the blues or bebop. His best-known work includes 1967’s “Alligator Bogaloo,” “Pot Belly,” and his rendition of Bobbie Gentry’s “Ode to Billie Joe,” which propelled him to the mainstream. “Ode to Billie Joe” has been sampled over 200 times, most notably by hip hop artists such as Kanye West, Lauryn Hill, A$AP Rocky and A Tribe Called Quest.
In his 70-year career, Donaldson remained a favourite in the jazz festival circuit before retiring in 2018 at the age of 92. He was inducted as a NEA Jazz Master in 2013 and was profiled by Dinner Jazz host John Devenish on an episode of The Artistry Of… last year. His last public appearance was in 2021 at his birthday celebration at Dizzy’s Jazz Club in New York. He planned to attend this year’s celebration but fell ill with a case of pneumonia a week leading up to his passing.
Donaldson is survived by his daughter Carol Webster. His wife of 56 year Maker Neal Turner and daughter Lydia Tutt-Jones preceded him in death in 2006 and 1994 respectively. The motto on his website sums up perfectly the legacy of Lou Donaldson:
NO FUSION — NO CONFUSION
JUST STRAIGHT AHEAD JAZZ, BEBOP & BLUES