Lou Donaldson has long been an excellent bop altoist influenced by Charlie Parker, but with a more blues-based style of his own. His distinctive tone has been heard in a variety of small group settings, and he has recorded dozens of worthy and spirited sets throughout the years. His bluesy style was easily transferable to soul-jazz, and he sounded most original in that context. Swing And Soul is a Donaldson album from 1957 that features his most famous quintet consisting of Herman Foster on piano, Peck Morrison on bass, Dave Bailey on drums and Ray Barretto on congas.

"The Sermon!" is a 1959 album by jazz organist Jimmy Smith. It was produced by the Blue Note record label. Allmusic's Lindsay Planer described the album as "a prime example of Smith and company's myriad of talents".

These 1957 sessions were the first Jimmy Smith did with horns after his recording debut the previous year. With the calibre of the top-rank musicians involved – Smith, the first to translate Bird’s innovations to the organ, altoist Donaldson, the blues-drenched Bird follower, and both Mobley and Byrd contributing some thoughtful blowing of their own on tenor and trumpet respectively - the overall results were rewarding.

"Wailing With Lou" is a hard bop album by saxophonist Lou Donaldson. It features performances by Donaldson's Quintet with Donald Byrd, Herman Foster, Peck Morrison, and Art Taylor.

"Sweet Lou" was recorded by saxophonist Lou Donaldson in 1974. Produced by Horace Ott and George Butler and recorded at Generation Sound Studios in NYC, the album features compositions by Donaldson as well as a few tunes by other jazz musicians.

Blues Walk is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson. It has been considered Donaldson's "undisputed masterpiece". It was recorded in July 1958 by Rudy Van Gelder in his studio.

"Wizard of the Vibes" was recorded in several sessions between 1948 and 1952, and is a compilation of performances by vibraphonist Milt Jackson. It features performances of his playing with The Thelonious Monk Quintet and The Modern Jazz Quartet plus Lou Donaldson.

The Time Is Right is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label and performed by Donaldson with Blue Mitchell, Horace Parlan, Laymon Jackson, Dave Bailey, and Ray Barretto with Sam Jones and Al Harewood replacing Jackson and Bailey on one track.

Here 'Tis is an album by jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldson recorded for the Blue Note label in 1961 and performed by Donaldson with organist Baby Face Willette, guitarist Grant Green and drummer Dave Bailey.

Recorded in 1960, Sunny Side Up features alto master Lou Donaldson paired with a fine cadre of up-and-coming sidemen. In particular, trumpeter Bill Hardman and pianist Duke Pearson contribute a healthy dose of soul to the arrangements, which, combined with rock solid drumming from Al Harewood and tight bass work from Sam Jones and Laymon Jackson, are highlights of this particularly fine album.

This 1958 release marks a period in Lou Donaldson's development prior to a stylistic shift away from bop and toward a stronger rhythm and blues emphasis. Three uptempo tunes here are pure bebop; the remaining number is a medium blues piece, quite characteristic of the hard bop period. The front line on this set includes Donald Byrd and Curtis Fuller with the rhythm section of Sonny Clark, George Joyner and Art Taylor.

"Alligator Bogaloo" is Lou Donaldson’s 1967 Blue Note classic. Melvin Lastie, Sr., Lonnie Smith, George Benson and Leo Morris join Donaldson for this undeniable gem. The album is an exhilarating blend of hard bop with soulful jazz. It reached #3 on Billboard’s Top Jazz Albums and includes the massive hits “Alligator Bogaloo” and “Aw Shucks”.

"Lush Life" was originally recorded in 1967 but was not released until 1980 in Japan under the title "Sweet Slumber", due to the success of Donaldson's album "Alligator Bogaloo" (also recorded in 1967). Featuring musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Garnett Brown, Jerry Dodgion, Wayne Shorter, Pepper Adams, McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter and Al Harewood, the album was very well-received when it finally was released.

"Sunny Side Up" is closer to hard bop than the straight-ahead bop that characterized Lou Donaldson's '50s Blue Note records. There's a bit more soul to the songs here, which pianist Horace Parlan helps emphasize with his lightly swinging grooves.

Jazz saxophonist Lou Donaldon's 1959 Blue Note release. "Light-Foot" is his seventh studio album recording as a leader, the album features his Quintet comprised of Herman Foster, Peck Morrison, Jimmy Wormsworth and Ray Barretto. The record features some original compositions by Donaldson along with titles by Ray Charles, Herman Foster and other jazz composers.