This column is a partnership with Record Bar 45 Yokohama, a bona-fide record bar with excellent vinyl DJs and a supporter of NPO Yokohama Seasider. Here, we check out their Instagram (@recordbar45yokohama) to see what they’ve been playing, then write about one of the artists and/or albums—we’re DJs/musicians ourselves!
Lou Donaldson (1926-2024) enjoyed an incredibly long, fruitful career, playing alto sax past the age of ninety (live jazz music is the secret to long life, everyone!). He was also a composer and bandleader. Among the many talented black sax players that emerged in the 1950s and 60s, we find his sound distinctly bluesy, with touches of soul and gospel—an influence, perhaps, from having grown up in the American South (North Carolina). Nobody could escape the influence of bebop and hard bop from that era, though, and Donaldson notably worked with Thelonious Monk early in his recording career.
He was also a pioneer of the organ-sax ensemble sound, making his mark through collaborations with artists like Jimmy Smith. We love the interplay between Donaldson’s sax and the organ on the LP Hot Dog, a Blue Note Records 1969 release. The organist was Charles Earland, himself a prolific musician who recorded dozens of albums and toured widely. The five-song album is funky and cheerful with infectious grooves sure to put you in a good mood (especially with a cocktail in hand). Perhaps the most well-known song on the album is a cover of the R&B tune “Who’s Making Love?”, but for us the gem of the album is his original song, “Turtle Walk”. The solos shine on this mid-tempo piece, and you may find yourself restless to get out of your chair and dance. “Hot Dog” is another notable original running 10:45 and featuring a lively groove with more mainstream appeal.
Critics have given the album mixed reviews (some characterizing it as uneven), but we’d happily sit at the bar and listen to it in its entirety. Few can compose and play like this!