The greatness of alto sax player Lou Donaldson was confirmed again, thanks to Rudy van Gelder's re-issuing of the classics A Night at Birdland Vols. 1 + 2, by the Art Blakey Quintet (predecessors of The Jazz Messengers). Especially in the piece Lou's Blues you can hear this musician really added more depth to hard bop at the time. Donaldson scored two hit singles with his funky album Alligator Boogaloo and he was frequently played on R&B radio stations. In the eighties he returned to the hard-bop scene. And he is still very welcome there these days, although the veteran is not afraid to make a side-step into soul jazz, as he did with organ player Dr. Lonnie Smith. Smith did not receive a doctorate from university but from his fellow musicians. When a band didn't really swing or lacked inspiration, this keyboard wizard came up with a remedy. In 1969 the king of the Hammond B3 organ was pronounced an ace organist and ever since people have been awed when they hear his name. Not only did Smith acquire acclaim as the sideman of guitarist George Benson, he also proved his own worth by recording over thirty solo albums in his own right.
