Blue 'N' Soul - Hear It Through The Grapevine stands as a magnificent archival anthology showcasing the vibrant intersection of classic soul, Motown classics, and hard-grooving jazz-funk. Released in 2001 by the premier jazz label Blue Note Records, this seventy-five-minute collection gathers fourteen deep-groove reinterpretations of classic R&B and soul hits performed by legendary Blue Note artists during the late 1960s and 1970s. Blending Hammond B-3 organ fire, smooth electric guitar lines, funky horn arrangements, and soulful vocal performances, the collection demonstrates how jazz masters transformed pop and Motown chart-toppers into sophisticated, danceable soul-jazz classics. Featuring iconic figures including Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, Ronnie Foster, Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd, Bobby Hutcherson, and Marlena Shaw, highlights include Earl Klugh's rhythmic reading of I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Grant Green's breezy take on Stevie Wonder's If You Really Love Me, Reuben Wilson's funky cover of Mr. Big Stuff, and Marlena Shaw's irresistible Feel Like Making Love. Sourced from original high-fidelity lossless transfers alongside high-bitrate MP3 options, complete with EAC sector logging verification, track cue sheets, full retail artwork scans, and pristine audio clarity, this release is an essential centerpiece for soul-jazz purists, jazz-funk collectors, and groove-oriented archives.

Recorded in January 1957 at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio and released on Blue Note Records (BLP 1545), Wailing With Lou is a quintessential hard bop session led by alto saxophone icon Lou Donaldson. Fresh off his early work with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Donaldson delivers a blues-drenched, soaring performance alongside a top-tier quintet featuring trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Herman Foster, bassist Peck Morrison, and powerhouse drummer Art Taylor. Balancing soulful original blues ("L.D. Blues," "Move It") with inventive reworkings of standards like "Caravan" and "There Is No Greater Love," this album showcases Donaldson's signature warm tone, fluent technique, and deep blues sensibility that defined early Blue Note hard bop.

The Time Is Right is a standout hard bop session led by acclaimed alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio in late 1959 and reissued on CD by Blue Note in 1999. Supported by an exceptional ensemble featuring trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Horace Parlan, conguero Ray Barretto, and a swinging rhythm section, Donaldson delivers a rich blend of soulful blues phrasing, bebop agility, and infectious melodic warmth. The repertoire balances spirited originals like the swinging title-adjacent tracks with expertly crafted interpretations of classic standards, showcasing the leader's signature bluesy tone and lyrical fluency. With crisp interplay and effortless groove throughout, this album captures one of the most cohesive and satisfying lineups of Donaldson's celebrated Blue Note era.

Funk Ain't A Word is an electrifying 13-track compilation released in 2008 by Brown Sugar. Curated for deep-groove enthusiasts and crate diggers, this release explores the rich crossover where soulful jazz improvisation meets raw, heavy funk rhythms. Opening with Lou Donaldson's classic "Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky (From Now On)", the anthology spans legendary cuts from organ masters Jimmy McGriff, Richard Holmes, and Reuben Wilson, alongside seminal fusion anthems like The Headhunters' "God Make Me Funky" and Lonnie Liston Smith's "Cosmic Funk". Rounding out with heavy-hitting funk staples from The Crusaders, Ohio Players, and Cameo, this collection serves as a essential masterclass in 1970s jazz-funk heritage.

Blue Breakbeats is a spectacularly expressive, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized soul-jazz and jazz-funk archival compilation masterpiece led by the legendary American alto saxophone vanguard pioneer and undisputed groove monarch Lou Donaldson, digitally preserved and released on compact disc in 1998 under the prestigious engineering banner of Blue Note Records. Spanning nearly 45 minutes of breathtakingly intense, conceptually profound instrumental interactions across 6 sprawling, long-form tracking alignments, this high-fidelity document serves as an absolute peak monument in late-1960s and early-1970s rare groove and hip-hop sampling archaeology. This highly curated collection focuses heavily on Donaldson's legendary Rudy Van Gelder studio sessions, showcasing the exact historical flashpoint where his blistering bebop roots morphed into an infectious, down-home jazz-funk framework built specifically on heavy, danceable breaks and hypnotic rhythm pockets.

Complete 1952 Blue Note Sessions is a spectacularly expressive, historically monumental, and masterfully synchronized hard bop and bebop archival compilation masterpiece led by the legendary American alto saxophone vanguard pioneer and soulful blues stylist Lou Donaldson, digitally preserved and released on compact disc in 2002 under the specialized European historical reissue imprint The Jazz Factory. Spanning over 66 minutes of breathtakingly intense, conceptually profound instrumental interactions across 20 definitive tracking alignments, this high-fidelity document serves as an absolute peak monument in early-1950s Blue Note label archaeology. This comprehensive anthology captures the exact historical flashpoint where a young, fiercely swinging Donaldson—heavily inspired by Charlie Parker yet forging his own distinct, blues-drenched tonal vocabulary—helmed or supercharged a series of monumental New York sessions that laid down the structural bricks for the entire hard bop movement.

Lou Donaldson's 1961 classic, Here 'Tis, reissued in immaculate audiophile quality by Analogue Productions, stands as a foundational, sizzling, and quintessential masterpiece of the early soul jazz movement. The brilliant alto saxophonist, deeply rooted in the fiery bebop language of Charlie Parker, effortlessly shifts gears into an earthy, blues-drenched, and foot-tapping groove session. What makes this particular Blue Note date legendary is the historic, initial alignment of Donaldson with three cornerstones of the greasy organ-trio aesthetic: a young, emerging guitar genius Grant Green, the deeply soulful Hammond B-3 organ wizard Baby Face Willette, and the flawlessly steady, propulsive drummer Dave Bailey. Together, they cook up an irresistible, blues-heavy sound canvas. From the infectious, heavy-grooving title track and the energetic shuffle of Watusi Jump to the slow-burning, gospel-tinged strut of Walk Wid Me, the quartet strips away academic pretense to deliver acoustic jazz at its most kinetic, visceral, and joyously swinging. This definitive audiophile transfer captures every ounce of the smoky, warm studio room ambiance and deep room thumping bass frequencies.

An overlooked funky gem from Lou Donaldson - a later date for Blue Note, done in a style that's a bit expanded from his small combo sets of the 60s - but still filled with plenty of soul and groove! The lineup features core key players Leon Spencer on Hammond, Melvin Sparks on guitar, and Idris Muhammad on drums - but there's also some added percussion, trumpet from Ed Williams, and a bit of vocals from the group Essence - who slide in with this slinky soul groove that's mighty nice. Lou plays alto sax - both electric and acoustic - and the tunes include the great originals "The Caterpillar" and "Caracas" - plus a sublime remake of Curtis Mayfield's "If There's A Hell Below (We're All Going To Go)", and a sweet take on "I'll Be There".

Alligator Bogaloo is one example of Lou Donaldson's successful combinations of hard bop and soul-jazz. Of the six tunes, three are Donaldson originals, including the title hit. The excellent band, consisting of Melvin Lastin, Sr. on cornet, George Benson on guitar, Lonnie Smith on organ, and Leo Morris on drums, mixes laid-back vamps beneath driving hard bop charts. As the '60s turned into the '70s, Donaldson began shaving off hard bop invention for a more radio-friendly and 45 rpm length, leaving soulful - yet monotonous - vamping. At that point, Donaldson's material suffered from a lack of originality. That's not the case on Alligator Bogaloo.

As he delved deeper into commercial soul-jazz and jazz-funk, Lou Donaldson became better at it. While lacking the bite of his hard bop improvisations or the hard-swinging funk of Alligator Bogaloo, Midnight Creeper succeeds where its predecessor, Mr. Shing-A-Ling failed: it offers a thoroughly enjoyable set of grooving, funky soul-jazz. The five songs - including two originals by Donaldson and one each by Lonnie Smith (who also plays organ on the record), Teddy Vann, and Harold Ousley - aren't particularly distinguished, but the vibe is important, not the material. And the band - Donaldson, Smith, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, guitarist George Benson, and drummer Leo Morris - strikes the right note, turning in a fluid, friendly collection of bluesy funk vamps. Donaldson could frequently sound stilted on his commercial soul-jazz dates, but that's not the case with Midnight Creeper…

Best known for his soul-jazz and breakbeat-friendly grooves of the late '60s and early '70s, alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson first established himself as a strong bop player in the Charlie Parker mold. His sweet and slightly tart tone was freshly essayed on several fine combo outings from the '50s, most of which at least gave a nod to the R&B-based material to follow. And while its sequel takes care of those groove cuts from the Age of Aquarius, this first volume of Donaldson's best keeps it swingin' with several top Blue Note sides from 1957-1967. A stellar taste of the future funk gravy aside ("Alligator Boogaloo"), the nine tracks here embrace Donaldson's early bop 'n' blues mantra via a mix resplendent with roots ("Groovin' High"), easy strollin' swing ("The Blues Walk"), a Bird-meets-the-B-3 moment ("Sow Belly Blues"), and a rare big-band ballad ("Sweet Slumber")…

On the Corner is yet another excellent Blue Note U.K. compilation of absolutely killer cuts from Blue Note's prime jazz-funk years in the wake of the soul-jazz explosion of the 1960s and Miles Davis' electric innovations in the late '60s and '70s. Typical of Blue Note in the period, these tracks all came from albums that were, in one sense, birds of a feather. In other words, whatever was "happening," Blue Note recorded it almost exclusively and forced even established artists to fit into that mold. While there were some mixed results, obviously, there is also a wealth of great material to choose from, as this funk-centric compilation makes very clear. One can already judge where the set is headed when it begins with Gene Harris' truly grooving "Losalamitoslatinlovesong." Harris cut three terrific electric jazz-funk sets for the label in the 1970s, only one of which has ever been available on CD. But other selections – such as Eddie Henderson's "Kumquat Kid," Ronnie Foster's "Cheshire Cat," Ronnie Laws' "Always There," and Moacir Santos' "Route" – offer funky fusion delights as well. There are 20 tunes on two discs, each of them jam-packed with gems.

Granted, a single-disc overview of Blue Note's finest recordings can't help but offer listeners more than a myopic view of the label's true scope, but for jazz neophytes, this nine-track collection will undoubtedly serve as a tantalizing taste of the company's riches. The song selection, though lacking few surprises, is consistently wonderful – how could a disc featuring John Coltrane's "Blue Train," Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage," Horace Silver's "Song for My Father" and Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder" be anything but? – and purists' complaints aside, for new fans it's a solid introduction to the Blue Note magic.