A native of Badin, NC, Lou Donaldson started out on clarinet. He later switched to alto, playing in a military band during his service in the Navy along side Willie Smith, Clark Terry, and Ernie Wilkins. Moving to New York in the early 1950s, he made his Blue Note recording debut as a member of Milt Jackson’s quintet. Sessions as a leader (quartet, quintet, sextet) followed as well as collaborations with Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Sonny Stitt, Clifford Brown, and the Three Sounds (Andy Simpkins, Gene Harris, and Bill Dowdy). Donaldson was also on the bandstand with Brown, Silver, Art Blakey, and Tommy Potter to record A Night At Birdland, Vols. I & II, the earliest edition of what became Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. In hard bop mode, he went on to record Blue Note sides with Donald Byrd, Sonny Clark, Horace Parlan, Wayne Shorter, and Grant Green. By the late 50s, Donaldson was creating a more commercial "soul jazz" with organists Baby Face Willette and Big John Patton, and gained substantial popularity on the Argo label with the 1958 juke box hit “Blues Walk” and follow-up albums, Gravy Train (1961) and Good Gracious (1963).

Donaldson enjoyed a second round of Blue Note recordings in the late 60s and 70s that fused his soul sound with his earlier hard bop, including cross-over hits, Alligator Boogaloo and Mr. Shing-A-Ling featuring organist Lonnie Smith. He remained “Mr. Blue Note” through the early 80s, recording over 30 albums in little more than a decade; he subsequently recorded for Muse, Timeless, and Milestone, and in the last decade, again for Blue Note. Noted pianist Horace Parlan, "One of the unique qualities of Lou's work is that he incorporates a great deal of the whole jazz tradition in his playing. He's listened to just about everyone, and not only alto players. With this knowledge of the entire jazz language, Lou is definitely an individual voice."

Dr. Lonnie Smith, one of the true legends of the Hammond B-3, has been featured as performer and/or composer on over 70 recordings. Downbeat’s top organist of 1969, he’s appeared with such jazz greats as George Benson, David “Fathead” Newman, Lee Morgan, Dizzy Gillespie, and Lou Donaldson. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Smith was surrounded by music. “My mother and I used to sing around the house,” he recalled in an All About Jazz interview. “And my aunts and uncles and cousins, we'd sit around playing gospel music. The joy was always there. It was always in my blood.” Smith was introduced to the Hammond B-3 as a teenager by a local music store owner. “He said, 'If you can get this out of here, it's yours.' I didn't know how to play it…I was doing all of this by ear, 'cause I didn't read. I just picked up the instrument naturally.” Playing around town, Smith was noticed by visiting musicians including Jack McDuff, Lou Donaldson, and George Benson, getting his big break when Benson invited him to join his band. After a successful stint with Benson, Smith went solo, recording over 30 albums as leader. His trademark turban and passion make him an audience favorite throughout the world. Noted Jazz Times, he is “a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a turban.”

Guitarist Randy Johnston and drummer Fukushi Tainaka, long-time partners of Donaldson and Smith, round out the quartet in fine fashion. Johnston’s finger-popping solos and hard-swinging comping always add excitement to the mix, while Tainaka provides some of the fastest brush and stick combinations to ever fly off a club stage.

Don’t miss this engagement of the Lou Donaldson Quartet! Their music, chops, and passion are truly timeless.

The Village Vanguard is located at 178 Seventh Av South in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. Two sets each night, November 27-December 2. Visit www.villagevanguard.com