Veteran jazz musician Lou Donaldson, a jazz alto saxophonist for more than 50 years, died Sunday at the age of 98.
Donaldson’s family announced his death in a post. on your website which reads: ‘Sweet daddy Lou Donaldson’s family 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. Thanks to you, his legendary contributions to Jazz will live on forever.
The musician had a warm, fluid style and performed alongside artists such as Thelonius Monk, Milt Jackson, Art Blakey and George Benson.
Donaldson’s material had been sampled by Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Nas, A$AP Rocky, De La Soul and the late Amy Winehouse, among other artists.
Veteran jazz musician Lou Donaldson, a jazz alto saxophonist for more than 50 years, died Sunday at the age of 98. Photographed in the 1960s
A native of Badin, North Carolina and a World War II veteran, Donaldson was part of the bop scene that emerged after the war and early in his career recorded with Monk, Jackson and others.
Donaldson also helped launch the career of Clifford Brown, the talented trumpeter who was just 25 when he died in a car accident in 1956. Donaldson was also present at some of pianist Horace Silver’s early sessions.
For more than half a century, he fused soul, blues and pop, achieving some mainstream recognition with his 1967 version of one of the era’s biggest hits, Ode to Billy Joe, featuring a young Benson on guitar.
His notable albums include Alligator Bogaloo, Lou Donaldson at His Best and Wailing With Lou.
Donaldson opened his shows with a crisp, jazzy song from 1958, Blues Walk.
“That’s my theme song,” he said in a 2013 interview with the National Endowment for the Arts, which named him Master of Jazz. “It has to have a good rhythm, a good rhythm.”
Nine years later, his hometown changed the name of one of its streets to Lou Donaldson Boulevard.
Donaldson retired in 2018 after maintaining a presence for years in jazz clubs and gatherings, particularly in New York City.
The musician had a warm, fluid style and performed alongside artists such as Thelonius Monk, Milt Jackson, Art Blakey and George Benson. Photographed in 2009 in New York.
Donaldson’s material had been sampled by Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Nas, A$AP Rocky, De La Soul and the late Amy Winehouse, among other artists.
A native of Badin, North Carolina and a World War II veteran, Donaldson was part of the bop scene that emerged after the war.
Donaldson, who celebrated his 98th birthday earlier this month, used to go to Dizzy’s Jazz Club to commemorate the milestone, but had to cancel this year due to illness, as he battled pneumonia before dying.
Donaldson had been married to his late wife Maker Neal Turner from 1950 until her death in 2006; They were the parents of their late daughter Lydia Tutt-Jones and their surviving daughter Carol.
Donaldson was fondly remembered by several fans, peers and music organizations as news of his passing spread.
Jazz tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins said on X/Twitter: ‘Lou Donaldson: one of the greatest human beings God presented to me. May his soul always be alive in this world.’
Jazz expert Mark Stryker noted that Donaldson was one of a series of recent deaths of musical mainstays.
‘9 difficult days for music: Quincy Jones was 91 years old; George Bohanon, 87; Lou Donaldson, 98; Roy Haynes, 99 years old,” said Stryker. ‘Yes, all especially long and well-lived lives. Still, that’s 375 years of combined wisdom and history leaving the planet.’
The National Endowment for the Arts said: “It is with great sadness that @NEAarts recognizes the passing of saxophonist Lou Donaldson, winner of a 2013 Jazz Master Fellowship, the country’s highest honor in jazz.”
The National Endowment for the Arts issued a statement acknowledging Donaldson’s death.
Jazz tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins said on X/Twitter: ‘Lou Donaldson: one of the best humans God introduced me to. May your soul always be alive in this world’
Jazz expert Mark Stryker noted that Donaldson was one of a series of recent deaths of musical mainstays.
Several fans also weighed in with tributes to Donaldson.
Several fans also weighed in with tributes to Donaldson.
‘Man… May the great Lou Donaldson rest in peace. “I am so grateful for your music, insight and humor,” said one.
Another added: “I saw him perform in the early ’90s.” It was excellent. It’s been sad until now. RIP Lou.’
One user said: ‘RIP Lou Donaldson. I discovered their albums through this track ‘Pot Belly’ that appeared on one of the Ultimate Breaks and Beats albums in the late eighties. Many of their albums have been widely sampled since then.
“Hip hop definitely wouldn’t have been the same without Lou.”