Forgotten Man

by Scott Yanow Altoist Lou Donaldson was never exactly a "forgotten man," but his boppish style had been largely overlooked since his commercial electric funk sessions for Blue Note in the early to mid-'70s. This is a straightahead acoustic quartet date with pianist Herman Foster (whose block chord solos on a couple of numbers are quite exciting), bassist Geoff Fuller and drummer Victor Jones . Donaldson romps through some bop standards, Tadd Dameron 's lesser-known "This Is Happiness" and his own "Tracy" and takes a humorous vocal on "Whiskey Drinkin' Woman." Although not essential, this album should easily please Lou Donaldson's fans, for it finds him in exuberant form.