Lou Donaldson's career spanned over half a century, and several of his recordings were sampled in some of the most impactful rap, hip-hop and pop records in history.

A player of impeccable technique and a mainstay of the Blue Note label, he recorded constantly as both a leader and a sideman beginning in 1952.

Lou Donaldson, an alto saxophonist with a supple, earthy style who was a key figure in the development of three styles of jazz from the 1940s to the 1960s and sustained a career for almost seven decades,