The droll, sleek-haired saxophonist Lou Donaldson, who has died aged 98, was disinclined to let a good lick or a good gag wither on the vine. Alongside his immense saxophone eloquence, he possessed a highly entertaining strangled-parrot blues voice, and at gigs in his later years would regularly deliver his vocal party piece, Whisky Drinkin’ Woman. He would then express his gratitude to audiences with the words “glad y’all appreciate classical singing”.
Donaldson had his biggest hit with the soul-jazz anthem Alligator Boogaloo in 1967. He probably stopped changing as a creative jazz artist around this time, but it never mattered that he stayed the same. His show had a rootsy bonhomie that kept it engagingly and unerringly on the road.
