Midnight Sun (Lou Donaldson album)
Encyclopedia
Midnight Sun is an album by jazz
saxophonist Lou Donaldson
recorded for the Blue Note
label in 1960 (but not released until two decades later) and performed by Donaldson with Horace Parlan
, George Tucker
, Al Harewood
, and Ray Barretto
.
The album was awarded 3 stars in an Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine who states "Midnight Sun is as strong as any of the hard bop records Donaldson released in the early '60s. Part of the reason the quality is so high is the fact his supporting quartet is so strong... Any dedicated Donaldson fan should search for this record; even if it doesn't reach the heights of Blues Walk
and Here 'Tis
, it still has plenty of fine music.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson
Lou Donaldson is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker.His first recordings were...
recorded for the Blue Note
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
label in 1960 (but not released until two decades later) and performed by Donaldson with Horace Parlan
Horace Parlan
Horace Parlan is an American hard bop and post-bop piano player.He is noted for his contributions to the classic Charles Mingus recordings Mingus Ah Um and Blues & Roots....
, George Tucker
George Tucker (musician)
George Andrew Tucker was an American jazz double-bassist.Tucker attended the New York Conservatory of Modern Music, studying bass in the late 1940s. Early in his career he played with Earl Bostic, John Coltrane, and Jackie McLean...
, Al Harewood
Al Harewood
Al Harewood is a musician and teacher, born in Brooklyn. As a drummer Harewood worked with many jazz musicians including the J.J. Johnson/Kai Winding group, the Art Farmer/Gigi Grice band, David Amram, and the Curtis Fuller-Benny Golson Sextet...
, and Ray Barretto
Ray Barretto
Ray Barretto was a Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican jazz musician.-Early years:Barretto was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent...
.
The album was awarded 3 stars in an Allmusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine who states "Midnight Sun is as strong as any of the hard bop records Donaldson released in the early '60s. Part of the reason the quality is so high is the fact his supporting quartet is so strong... Any dedicated Donaldson fan should search for this record; even if it doesn't reach the heights of Blues Walk
Blues Walk
Blues Walk is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson.It has been considered Donaldson's "undisputed masterpiece".- Track listing :# "Blues Walk" 6:44# "Move" 5:54# "The Masquerade Is Over" 5:54...
and Here 'Tis
Here 'Tis
Here 'Tis is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label in 1961 and performed by Donaldson with Baby Face Willette, Grant Green, and Dave Bailey....
, it still has plenty of fine music.
Track listing
- All compositions by Lou Donaldson except as indicated
- "CandyCandy (1944 song)"Candy" is a popular song. The music was written by Alex Kramer, the lyrics by Mack David and Joan Whitney. It was published in 1944.The recording by Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 183. It first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on...
" (Mack DavidMack DavidMack David was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning from the early 1940s through the early 1970s. Mack was credited with writing lyrics and/or music for over one thousand songs...
, Alex KramerAlex Kramer (songwriter)Alex J. Kramer was a Canadian songwriter....
, Joan WhitneyJoan Whitney KramerJoan Whitney Kramer was an American singer and songwriter.She was born as Zoe Parenteau in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She attended Finch College in New York City. In 1934, while playing a showgirl in The Great Waltz on Broadway, she took the stage name Joan Whitney...
) - 6:12 - "Midnight Sun" (Sonny BurkeSonny BurkeSonny Burke was a big band leader. In 1937, he graduated from Duke University where he had formed and led the jazz big band known as the Duke Ambassadors....
, Lionel HamptonLionel HamptonLionel Leo Hampton was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, bandleader and actor. Like Red Norvo, he was one of the first jazz vibraphone players. Hampton ranks among the great names in jazz history, having worked with a who's who of jazz musicians, from Benny Goodman and Buddy...
, Johnny MercerJohnny MercerJohn Herndon "Johnny" Mercer was an American lyricist, songwriter and singer. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others...
) - 5:45 - "AvalonAvalon (Al Jolson song)"Avalon" is a 1920 popular song written by Al Jolson, Buddy DeSylva and Vincent Rose. It was introduced by Jolson and interpolated in the musicals Sinbad and Bombo. Jolson's recording rose to number two on the charts in 1921. The song was possibly written by Rose, but Jolson's popularity as a...
" (Buddy DeSylva, Al JolsonAl JolsonAl Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
, Vincent RoseVincent RoseVincent Rose was a musician and band leader.Vincent Rose has one of the longest histories as a band leader. He achieved much popularity with his Montmartre Orchestra in the 1920s, and recorded with the group for RCA...
) - 5:16 - "The Squirrel" (Tadd DameronTadd DameronTadley Ewing Peake "Tadd" Dameron was an American jazz composer, arranger and pianist. Saxophonist Dexter Gordon called Dameron the "romanticist" of the bop movement, while reviewer Scott Yanow writes that Dameron was the "definitive arranger/composer of the bop era".-Biography:Born in Cleveland,...
) - 3:34 - "Si Si Safronia" - 4:31
- "Exactly Like You" (Dorothy FieldsDorothy FieldsDorothy Fields was an American librettist and lyricist.She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films...
, Jimmy McHughJimmy McHughJames Francis McHugh was a U.S. composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he composed over 270 songs...
) - 5:03 - "Dog Walk" - 4:23
- Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ on July 22, 1960.
- "Candy
Personnel
- Lou DonaldsonLou DonaldsonLou Donaldson is a jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Badin, North Carolina. He is best known for his soulful, bluesy approach to playing the alto saxophone, although in his formative years he was, as many were of the bebop era, heavily influenced by Charlie Parker.His first recordings were...
- alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Horace ParlanHorace ParlanHorace Parlan is an American hard bop and post-bop piano player.He is noted for his contributions to the classic Charles Mingus recordings Mingus Ah Um and Blues & Roots....
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - George TuckerGeorge Tucker (musician)George Andrew Tucker was an American jazz double-bassist.Tucker attended the New York Conservatory of Modern Music, studying bass in the late 1940s. Early in his career he played with Earl Bostic, John Coltrane, and Jackie McLean...
- bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Al HarewoodAl HarewoodAl Harewood is a musician and teacher, born in Brooklyn. As a drummer Harewood worked with many jazz musicians including the J.J. Johnson/Kai Winding group, the Art Farmer/Gigi Grice band, David Amram, and the Curtis Fuller-Benny Golson Sextet...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Ray BarrettoRay BarrettoRay Barretto was a Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican jazz musician.-Early years:Barretto was born in New York City of Puerto Rican descent...
- congas (tracks 1 & 3-7)