Lou Donaldson – Mr. Shing-A-Ling

Funky funky Lou Donaldson – and one of the first albums to feature the tight drum work of Idris Muhammadbehind Lou’s horn – so early, in fact, that Muhammad’s listed here on the label as Leo Morris, which was his original name! The group also features Blue Mitchell on trumpet, Jimmy Ponder on guitar, and Lonnie Smith on organ – and they all wail together in a sound that bridges the gap between Lou’s earlier Blue Note soul jazz, and the later funky mode of his jazz funk years! Tracks include “The Humpback,” “Peepin’,” “The Kid” and the fantastic cover of “Ode to Billie Joe” that’s as much a sample cut as “Pot Belly”!

The Blue Note Tone Poet Series was born out of Blue Note President Don Was’ admiration for the exceptional audiophile Blue Note LP reissues presented by Music Matters. The label brought Joe Harley (from Music Matters), aka the “Tone Poet,” on board to curate and supervise a series of reissues from the Blue Note family of labels. Extreme attention to detail has been paid to getting these right in every conceivable way, from the deluxe gatefold jacket graphics and printing quality to superior mastering (all analog direct from the master tapes) by Kevin Gray to superb 180-gram audiophile LP pressings by Record Technology Inc. Every aspect of these Blue Note/Tone Poet releases is done to the highest-possible standard. It means that you will never find a superior version.