Lou Takes Off

1958 studio album by Lou Donaldson

Lou Takes Off

Studio album by

Lou Donaldson

Released

July 1958^[1]

Recorded

December 15, 1957

Studio

Van Gelder Studio
Hackensack, NJ

Genre

Jazz

Length

38:17

Label

Blue Note
BLP 1591

Producer

Alfred Lion

Lou Donaldson chronology

Jimmy Smith Trio + LD
(1957)

Lou Takes Off
(1958)

Blues Walk
(1958)

Lou Takes Off is an album by American jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded on December 15, 1957 and released on Blue Note the following year. The sextet features brass section Donald Byrd and Curtis Fuller and rhythm section Sonny Clark, Jamil Nasser and Art Taylor.^[2]

Background

According to Donaldson, Blue Note initially didn't like any of the album, "the conga drums or the new musicians."^[3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[4]

The AllMusic review by Lee Bloom states, "This recording marks a period in his development prior to a stylistic shift away from bop and toward a stronger rhythm and blues emphasis... Overall, Lou Takes Off breaks no new musical ground, but it is a solid, swinging session of high-caliber playing.^[5]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lou Donaldson, except as noted.

Side 1
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Sputnik"		10:05
2.	"Dewey Square"	Charlie Parker	7:16

Side 2
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Strollin' In"		14:34
2.	"Groovin' High"	Dizzy Gillespie	6:22

Personnel

Musicians

Lou Donaldson – alto saxophone
Donald Byrd – trumpet
Curtis Fuller – trombone
Sonny Clark – piano
Jamil Nasser (born George Joyner) – bass
Art Taylor – drums

Technical personnel

Alfred Lion – producer
Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer
Reid Miles – design
Francis Wolff – photography

References

^ Schwann Record & Tape Guide, 1964
^ Lou Donaldson discography accessed December 3, 2009.
^ 2008 liner notes by Bob Blumenthal
^ Allmusic Review
^ Bloom, L. Allmusic Review accessed December 3, 2009.

Lou Donaldson

Studio albums

Quartet/Quintet/Sextet (1952)
Wailing with Lou (1957)
Swing and Soul (1957)
Jimmy Smith Trio + LD (1957)
Lou Takes Off (1957)
Blues Walk (1958)
Light-Foot (1958)
LD + 3 (1959)
The Time Is Right (1959)
Sunny Side Up (1960)
Midnight Sun (1960)
Here 'Tis (1961)
Gravy Train (1961)
A Man With a Horn (1961)
The Natural Soul (1962)
Good Gracious! (1963)
Signifyin' (1963)
Possum Head (1964)
Cole Slaw (1964)
Rough House Blues (1964)
Musty Rusty (1965)
Blowing in the Wind (1966)
Lou Donaldson at His Best (1966)
Lush Life (1967)
Alligator Bogaloo (1967)
Mr. Shing-A-Ling (1967)
Midnight Creeper (1968)
Say It Loud! (1968)
Hot Dog (1969)
Everything I Play Is Funky (1970)
Pretty Things (1970)
Cosmos (1971)
Sophisticated Lou (1972)
Sassy Soul Strut (1973)
Sweet Lou (1974)
A Different Scene (1976)
Color as a Way of Life (1976)
Sweet Poppa Lou (1981)
Forgotten Man (1981)
Back Street (1982)
Play the Right Thing (1990)
Birdseed (1992)
Caracas (1993)
Sentimental Journey (1995)

Live albums

Fried Buzzard (1965)
The Scorpion (1970)
Live in Bologna (1984)
Relaxing at Sea: Live on the QE2 (2000)

Discography

v t e Donald Byrd
Years indicated are for the recording(s), not first release.
As leader	Byrd's Eye View (1955) Byrd Jazz (1955) Byrd's Word (1955) Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill (1956) 2 Trumpets (with Art Farmer, 1956) The Young Bloods (with Phil Woods, 1956) Jazz Eyes (and John Jenkins ao, 1957) Fuego (1959) Byrd in Flight (1960) Free Form (1961) A New Perspective (1963) I'm Tryin' to Get Home (1964) Up with Donald Byrd (1964) Mustang! (1966) Blackjack (1967) Slow Drag (1967) Fancy Free (1969) Kofi (1969–70) Ethiopian Knights (1971) Black Byrd (1972) Street Lady (1973) Stepping into Tomorrow (1974) Places and Spaces (1975) Caricatures (1976) Thank You...For F.U.M.L. (Funking Up My Life) (1978) Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C. (1979) Love Byrd (1981) Words, Sounds, Colors and Shapes (1982) Harlem Blues (1987) Getting Down to Business (1989) A City Called Heaven (1991)
With Pepper Adams	10 to 4 at the 5 Spot (1958) Off to the Races (1959) Byrd in Hand (1959) At the Half Note Cafe (1960) Motor City Scene (1960) Out of This World (1961) Chant (1961) The Cat Walk (1961) Royal Flush (1961) The Creeper (1967) Electric Byrd (1970)
With The Jazz Messengers	The Jazz Messengers (1956) Originally (1956) Art Blakey Big Band (1957) Holiday for Skins (2 volumes, 1958)
With Gigi Gryce	At Newport (and Cecil Taylor, 1957) Gigi Gryce and the Jazz Lab Quintet (Riverside, 1957) Jazz Lab (Columbia album) (1957) Jazz Lab (Jubilee album) (1957 [1958]) Modern Jazz Perspective (with Jackie Paris, 1957) New Formulas from the Jazz Lab (1957)
With Jackie McLean	Lights Out! (1956) 4, 5 and 6 (1956) New Soil (1959) Jackie's Bag (1959) Vertigo (1963)
With Hank Mobley	The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley (Savoy, 1956) Mobley's Message (Prestige, 1956) Jazz Message No. 2 (Savoy, 1957) Hank Mobley Sextet (1956) Hank (1957) No Room for Squares (1963) Straight No Filter (1963) The Turnaround! (1963) Far Away Lands (1967)
With others	Discoveries/Presenting Cannonball Adderley (Cannonball Adderley, 1955) Jammin' with Gene (Gene Ammons, 1956) All Night Long (Kenny Burrell, 1956) All Day Long (Kenny Burrell, 1957) 2 Guitars (Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Raney, 1957) Whims of Chambers (Paul Chambers, 1956) Paul Chambers Quintet (1957) Sonny's Crib (Sonny Clark, 1957) My Conception (Sonny Clark, 1959) Bohemia After Dark (Kenny Clarke, 1955) Lush Life (John Coltrane, 1957–58) The Believer (John Coltrane, 1957–58) The Last Trane (John Coltrane, 1957–58) Black Pearls (John Coltrane, 1957–58) Davis Cup (Walter Davis Jr., 1959) Wailing With Lou (Lou Donaldson, 1957) Lou Takes Off (Lou Donaldson, 1957) This Is New (Kenny Drew, 1957) All Mornin' Long (Red Garland, 1957) Soul Junction (Red Garland, 1957) High Pressure (Red Garland, 1957) One Flight Up (Dexter Gordon, 1964) Ladybird (Dexter Gordon, 1965) Snap Your Fingers (Al Grey, 1962) Johnny Griffin Sextet (1958) Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 (Guru, 1993) Jazzmatazz, Vol. 2: The New Reality (Guru, 1994–95) My Point of View (Herbie Hancock, 1993) Tone Tantrum (Gene Harris, 1977) Swamp Seed (Jimmy Heath, 1963) Informal Jazz (Elmo Hope, 1956) African High Life (Solomon Ilori, 1963) Big Byrd: The Essence Part 2 (Ahmad Jamal, 1994 or 1995) Quartet-Quintet (Hank Jones, 1955) Bluebird (Hank Jones, 1955) TV Action Jazz! (Mundell Lowe, 1959) The Thelonious Monk Orchestra at Town Hall (1959) Goin' Out of My Head (Wes Montgomery, 1965) Hush! (Duke Pearson, 1962) Wahoo! (Duke Pearson, 1964) Another One/Oscar Pettiford Volume 2 (1955) Winner's Circle (Oscar Pettiford, et al, 1957) Blues in Trinity (Dizzy Reece, 1958) The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (1956) Dimensions & Extensions (Sam Rivers, 1967) Sonny Rollins, Volume 1 (1956) Don't Stop the Carnival (Sonny Rollins, 1978) Silver's Blue (Horace Silver, 1956) 6 Pieces of Silver (Horace Silver, 1956–58) A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One (1957) A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two (1957) Taylor's Wailers (Art Taylor, 1957) Soul Sauce (Cal Tjader, 1964) A Bluish Bag (Stanley Turrentine, 1967) Top Brass (Ernie Wilkins, 1955) Pairing Off (Phil Woods, 1956)

v t e Sonny Clark
Years indicated are for the recording(s), not release.
As leader	Dial "S" for Sonny (1957) Sonny's Crib (1957) Sonny Clark Trio (Blue Note, 1957) Sonny Clark Quintets/My Conception (1957–59) Cool Struttin' (1958) The Art of The Trio (1958) Blues in the Night (1958) Standards (1958) Leapin' and Lopin' (1961)
As sideman	Minor Move (Tina Brooks, 1958) Blue Serge (Serge Chaloff, 1956) Lou Takes Off (Lou Donaldson, 1957) Bone & Bari (Curtis Fuller, 1957) Curtis Fuller Volume 3 (1957) Two Bones (Curtis Fuller, 1958) Go! (Dexter Gordon, 1962) A Swingin' Affair (Dexter Gordon, 1962) Soul Stirrin' (Bennie Green, 1958) The 45 Session (Bennie Green, 1958) Gooden's Corner (Grant Green, 1961) Oleo (1962) Nigeria (1962) The Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark (Grant Green, 1961–62) Born to Be Blue (Grant Green, 1962) The Congregation (Johnny Griffin, 1957) John Jenkins with Kenny Burrell (1957) Showcase (Philly Joe Jones, 1959) Cliff Craft (Clifford Jordan, 1957) Jackie's Bag (Jackie McLean, 1959) A Fickle Sonance (Jackie McLean, 1961) Vertigo (Jackie McLean, 1962) Tippin' the Scales (Jackie McLean, 1962) Poppin' (Hank Mobley, 1957) Hank Mobley (1957) Curtain Call (Hank Mobley, 1957) Candy (Lee Morgan, 1957–58) Easy Living (Ike Quebec, 1962) The Sound of Sonny (Sonny Rollins, 1957) Smithville (Louis Smith, 1957) Stan 'The Man' Turrentine (1960) Jubilee Shout!!! (Stanley Turrentine, 1962) Preach Brother! (Don Wilkerson, 1962)