Lou Donaldson 98
I knew this day would come, but it doesn’t make it any easier.
14 years ago, I opened the famous red door and walked down the hallowed stairs to the Mecca of live jazz that is the Village Vanguard. I grabbed the last vacant table, not more than five feet from the stage, and ordered a Jack and Coke. As my drink arrived and I tested its potency, the packed crowd burst into applause. I knew why, of course. I had booked my ticket months in advance.
Lou Donaldson had just turned 84 a few days ago, but he didn’t look it. As he took the stage, raised his horn to his lips and launched into a soulful blues, he seemed to transform into a man half his age.
Over the next hour, Lou regaled us with some amazing music and amusing anecdotes between songs. This was a guy who had played on 52nd Street in its heydays. Armstrong, Ellington, Miles, he had known them all. Yet, his manner was self effacing, with a warm smile and gentle voice that took all of us on a journey back in time. I was in jazz heaven!
Just before the band took their last number, Lou introduced his band mates, closing with, “…and our amazing drummer is the wonderful Fukushi Tainaka. As you can tell from his name, he comes from (pause, shy smile) Minneapolis!”
Very soon, we will no longer have any time travelers to our past. But I will always cherish my all too brief voyage with this legend. RIP Lou Donaldson. And thank you for the music.