sheldonm Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 (edited) I went to see Lou Donaldson w/Lonnie Smith on the B-3 yesterday, what a fun show! They played a few tunes by Bird, as well as one by Denzel Best, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Gravy Train and Alligator Bogaloo. He also did his standard blues vocal where he took a couple light hearted jabs at the President. Lou's wife, sister and other relatives were in the audience also, as his sister lives in Chicago. At Lou's advanced age, he still plays well and is quite the funny guy. I spoke to the Doctor for about 20 minutes before the show as Mel Rhyne told me to say "hi" to him. He's an interesting guy to say the least and kicks ass on the B-3. Lou said he's the best organ player in the country but went on to say he's not sure if he's the best in the city ! I made some nice photographs of the show and will put a few on line later this week. I know Sal was going to the Saturday night show as well, did he play the same tunes? Mark Edited August 22, 2004 by sheldonm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Mark, Judging from the private recordings I've heard, there's not a whole lot of variation in Lou's set list from show to show. Did he call the blues tune "suffering music"? Did he preface any of the Bird tunes as being "not recommended for Fusion or con-Fusion musicians"? And last but not least, did he back announce a Bird tune as "Don't Step On My Blue Suede Shoes"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Johnson Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Did he call the blues tune "suffering music"? Did he preface any of the Bird tunes as being "not recommended for Fusion or con-Fusion musicians"? And last but not least, did he back announce a Bird tune as "Don't Step On My Blue Suede Shoes"? Ibid, shows at the VV in NYC last winter! Love him anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 (edited) Dan, Lou probably assumes he can get away with telling the same jokes over and over because most of the audience will never see him again. Little does he know that someone's out there collecting all these private broadcasts It's amazing how few musicians realize what a fan base they have out there. If Wayne Shorter were to catch a glimpse of me at every concert of his in different parts of the world that I ever attended, he'd probably think I was a stalker! Bertrand. Edited August 16, 2004 by bertrand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sal Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 I didn't make it to any of the sets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted August 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 I didn't make it to any of the sets! Sal, I'm sad for you..... . Dan, Yes, he mentioned much of the above but I've seen him several times and he seems to through in a few new nuggets from time to time. He also mentioned the music was not meant to be played by Kenny G or Najee, which got a chuckle. I generally get a chance to see him once a year so it doesn't bug me too much. I would like to hear a few other tunes though. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 I thought the line was, "Kenny G, Najee, any of those damn "G"s!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted August 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 I thought the line was, "Kenny G, Najee, any of those damn "G"s!" It very well may have been but a fun show none the less! Got to see the greats while they are still around.....Lou is still considered a "great" isn't he???? Where's that dude that hates Rollins, maybe he hates Lou also B-) . My photographs are back from my lab and look pretty nice. I'll post some on Wednesday. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted August 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 I thought the line was, "Kenny G, Najee, any of those damn "G"s!" It very well may have been but a fun show none the less! Got to see the greats while they are still around.....Lou is still considered a "great" isn't he???? Where's that dude that hates Rollins, maybe he hates Lou also B-) . My photographs are back from my lab and look pretty nice. I'll post some on Wednesday. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted August 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 He did introduce his drummer Fukushi Tanaka and said with a name like that, you can tell he's from Mississippi ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Hey man, I'm not criticizing the guy. I'd pay big bucks to hear his schtick-I'm jealous of guys like you and Peter Johnson for seeing him in person! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDK Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Sounds just like the Lou/Dr. show I caught last year at the Bakery! They might not deliver the freshest set lists, but their playing is wonderful and their stage personalities resulted in much fun. I gotta admit that the Doctor stole the show I was at by getting on his knees and playing the organ pedals with his hands. I'd catch 'em again in a heartbeat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Johnson Posted August 16, 2004 Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 Couldn't agree more! I'm waiting with bated breath for a return engagement @ the VV, but their schedule only goes through September... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted August 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2004 I gotta admit that the Doctor stole the show I was at by getting on his knees and playing the organ pedals with his hands. He did the same thing yesterday ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mule Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 I caught the first set at the Showcase on the 11th and it was pretty much as described above. The only difference was when they wandered in before the set, Lonnie Smith popped open the cabinet of the organ and started tinkering with it using a Swiss Army knife. Lou wandered by and said "Don't monkey with that thing too much. We don't want blue flames shooting out of it!" On the whole, it was a very entertaining show. Glad I saw it. There was a nice review in the Chicago Tribune on the 13th and it ran with a big photo of Lou and Smith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mule Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi...1,5389727.story JAZZ REVIEW Donaldson quartet keeps bebop hopping By Howard Reich Tribune arts critic August 13, 2004 When a band hits its first number as hard as Lou Donaldson's quartet did Tuesday night at the Jazz Showcase, you can presume there'll be plenty of action ahead. But the incendiary set that followed may have caught even Donaldson devotees off guard. For as he approaches his 78th birthday, the hyper-virtuoso alto saxophonist clearly has maintained the fire and fervor of old, and then some. "No fusion, no confusion here," Donaldson told the crowd, articulating his allegiance to hard-core, make-no-compromises, take-no-prisoners jazz. "No Najee, no Kenny G, no any G," he added, invoking a line that practically has been his battle cry since the emergence of "smooth jazz" a couple of decades ago. With those words, Donaldson and friends tore through the bebop canon, pushing tempos, reaching the upper decibel levels and otherwise rattling the room. Though "Blues Walk" has been a Donaldson theme song for decades, the way he and his band played it might have led the unsuspecting listener to believe he had penned the piece just before show time. Everything about the performance was rough and raw, from Donaldson's soulful exhortations on alto to Dr. Lonnie Smith's cascading lines and abrupt swells of sound on organ. With Randy Johnston playing quick and steely riffs on electric guitar and Fukushi Tainaka punching downbeats aggressively on drums, this band played as if it had something to prove. Even in the night's sole ballad, Billie Holiday's searing "You've Changed," Donaldson produced about as penetrating and piercing a tone as this listener ever has heard from him. Yet even in his most anguished gestures, Donaldson showed a virtuoso's control of his instrument, his barely detectable vibrato flaring out just a bit at the end of phrases. In its melodic clarity and expressive pungency, this was a performance worthy of Holiday herself. Because August remains "Charlie Parker Month" at the Jazz Showcase, Donaldson offered a tribute to Bird in the form of Parker's "Ornithology" (though virtually everything Donaldson plays ultimately has been shaped by Parker's approach to the alto saxophone). But this was no conventional treatment, with Donaldson slowing the usual tempo and upping the blues-soul content considerably. When Donaldson, guitarist Johnston and organist Smith blasted the theme in unison, they redefined "Ornithology" on their own rough-and-ready terms, with drummer Tainaka bashing away as if he were in some Southern roadhouse. Surprisingly, though, Johnston and Smith's solos through most of the evening were uninspiring, Johnston's straight-laced style in the spotlight and Tainaka's rhythmically rigid cadenzas far less effective than when the band was going at full tilt. Organist Smith, however, soloed at Donaldson's level, churning out enough novel musical figures and robust, blues-laced chords to keep any listener riveted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajf67 Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Did he call the blues tune "suffering music"? Did he preface any of the Bird tunes as being "not recommended for Fusion or con-Fusion musicians"? And last but not least, did he back announce a Bird tune as "Don't Step On My Blue Suede Shoes"? Ibid, shows at the VV in NYC last winter! Love him anyway! I saw him at the Vanguard too, about a year ago I think. He did all that and I loved it and I hope I get to see him again. About halfway through the set he also said, "We've had a few requests (long pause)...but we're gonna keep playin' anyway!" He also did "Whiskey Drinkin' Woman" and did a bit about meeting George Bush in the White House and not finding any weapons of mass destruction. I'll make the trip again to see him. I loved every minute of it. The place was packed and the crowd ate it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Johnson Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Did he call the blues tune "suffering music"? Did he preface any of the Bird tunes as being "not recommended for Fusion or con-Fusion musicians"? And last but not least, did he back announce a Bird tune as "Don't Step On My Blue Suede Shoes"? Ibid, shows at the VV in NYC last winter! Love him anyway! I saw him at the Vanguard too, about a year ago I think. He did all that and I loved it and I hope I get to see him again. About halfway through the set he also said, "We've had a few requests (long pause)...but we're gonna keep playin' anyway!" He also did "Whiskey Drinkin' Woman" and did a bit about meeting George Bush in the White House and not finding any weapons of mass destruction. I'll make the trip again to see him. I loved every minute of it. The place was packed and the crowd ate it up. Must have been the same show, ajf! The "WMD" version of whiskey-drinkin' woman was a scream. IIRC, it was the Saturday 8:00 show...sound right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajf67 Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Yep! My girlfriend and I were pretty far back in line, but we ended up getting a spot two tables from the front. I usually like to sit a little farther back but it was a great spot to really watch Lou play and be close for the stage antics between them. Great show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardbopjazz Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 I've gone and seen him a number of times since 1996, about 8 times. The set doesn't stray much from each other, still great to go and see them. Just one time there was a third set at the VV in Oct 1997. They took requests and tore the house down. They played almost all Soul-Jazz. I remeber two of the tunes that night, One Cylinder, and Everything I play is Funky. That was the best F*$#en show I ever seen. He also had Idris Muhammand on drums that night. Lou just played the jazzmobile 2 weeks ago here in NYC. I couldn't get out of work to go. This time he played with an acoustic lineup, no organ. That would have been nice to see that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted August 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 ....as promised. Here's one of Lou! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted August 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 ...one of Randy Johnston! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted August 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 ....and the good Doctor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheldonm Posted August 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 (edited) ...and another of Lou . I forgot Fukushi, I'll post it later! Edited August 18, 2004 by sheldonm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 Really nice photos Mark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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