Blues Walk

Lou Donaldson

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: July 28, 1958
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B000005H56
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #46,345 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Lou Donaldson's undisputed masterpiece, Blues Walk, marks the point where the altoist began to decisively modify his heavy Charlie Parker influence and add a smoky, bluesy flavor of his own. The material is still firmly in the bebop style, and the mellower moments aren't as sleepy as some of Donaldson's subsequent work, so the album sounds vital and distinctive even as it slows down and loosens things up. What elevates Blues Walk to classic status is its inviting warmth. Donaldson's sweetly singing horn is melodic throughout the six selections, making even his most advanced ideas sound utterly good-natured and accessible. The easy-swinging title cut is arguably Donaldson's signature tune even above his late-'60s soul-jazz hits, and his other two originals - "Play Ray" and "Callin' All Cats" - are in largely the same vein. Elsewhere, Donaldson displays opposite extremes of his sound; the up-tempo bebop classic "Move" provokes his fieriest playing on the record, and his romantic version of "Autumn Nocturne" is simply lovely, a precursor to Lush Life. The addition of Ray Barretto on conga is a subtle masterstroke, adding just a bit more rhythmic heft to the relaxed swing. There are numerous likable records in Donaldson's extensive catalog, but Blues Walk is the best of them all.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alone on a Street Of Blue Notes, July 21, 2001

By	Dennis Stiff (Sacramento, Ca United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Lou Donaldson made his mark with this one...probably his best, then again this was 1958 and he had many more albums to cut. He was young and inventive and he made his own tune "Blues Walk" a classic. Take this and then jump to the second cut "Move" another legitimate bop standard up there with anything written by anybody...in fact the entire CD is up there with anything ever written......and why I don't see it on anyones Jazz To Have Lists can only be explained by pure oversight or lack of record company hype (support)...I know, a lot of great Jazz came out of the 1950's but this one is a definitive stand out. I write about music but never recommend anything...but...forget about Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins for a minute and get this album...it catches every mood and rises to the top of all the Blue Note releases... you just can't put it down.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blues Walk: A First-Rate Lou Donaldson Group, April 14, 2000

By	James Armstrong (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Although Lou is wonderfully facile in this Blue Note session from the late 1950s, it's Herman Foster, the great pianist, who steals the show, with convincing evidence that a complex harmonic instrument need not be treated as another variant on the Horace Silver/Bud Powell single-note theme. Foster's highly sophisticated two-handed harmonies in "Play Ray", a medium tempo blues for Barretto, are worthy of transcription. This is a virtuoso pianist with an aggressive, percussive approach which is atypical of Blue Note recordings of the era. The intensity of Foster's attack in Denzil Best's "Move" is phenomenal. Check it out.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classy Congo Blues, April 15, 2008

By	Scott Williams "sneakyneighborsdog" (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Blues walk is a classic 50's hard bob/bebop recording. What sets the album apart from other albums of the same era is the subtle congo playing of Ray Barretto. While it may seem commonplace today to throw an extra percussionist in to spice things up, this was one of the first "straight ahead" bebop recordings that incorporated a congo player into an album that was not a "latin jazz" album. Further the playing of Barretto was not overwhelming, which was the key to the success of the album. The overall effect was fantastic. There is great interplay between the band, Barretto and Donaldson. Most critics would rate this as Donaldson's best overall album and I agree. He's just starting to leave a straight ahead "charlie parker" style of playing for a more soul inspired style of playing. While I enjoy his later albums as well, I think it is this "crossroads" album that is his most unique and beautiful recording.