Lou Donaldson at 100: Hometown Badin and Dizzy's Club Plan Nov. 9 Tributes

Alto saxophonist Lou Donaldson, the Blue Note mainstay whose blues-soaked sound bridged bebop, hard bop and soul jazz, was born 100 years ago, on Nov. 1, 1926, in Badin, North Carolina. His centennial is being marked with two tributes on Monday, Nov. 9: an inaugural memorial concert in his hometown and a celebration at Dizzy's Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center, in New York.

In Badin, Badin Coffee will host the first Lou Donaldson Memorial Concert from 7 to 9 p.m., according to the Stanly News Journal. The evening will also mark the dedication of "Musical Badin," a public art installation at the Badin Post Office created by Badin Historic Museum board member Dall Wilson. It features five large murals, one of them of Donaldson, that trace the town's musical history through historic photographs and imagery.

Ahead of the celebration, the Badin Historic Museum announced on Oct. 2 that Donaldson's estate had donated personal belongings and career memorabilia, which will anchor a new exhibit on his life, music and ties to the town. The items include a Bundy clarinet that Badin band director Leo Gabriel sold to Donaldson's mother, Lucy; a handmade saxophone case Donaldson carried on his travels; his favorite beige straw hat; a "Sweet Poppa Lou" performance shirt; a saxophone-themed tie he wore onstage; and the North Carolina Award for Fine Arts he received in 2012.

"Donaldson's music delighted many people across the world," Wilson said in a statement quoted by the paper. "His daughter has been a delight to know, and her gifts are deeply appreciated."

In New York, Dizzy's Club will present a Lou Donaldson Centennial Celebration in two sets on Nov. 9. The lineup, listed by Jazz at Lincoln Center, features Champian Fulton on vocals and piano, Jaleel Shaw on alto saxophone, Peter Bernstein on guitar, John Webber on bass and Fukushi Tainaka on drums. The organization describes the players as longtime collaborators and friends of Donaldson, and lists both sets as live-only streams on its Jazz Live platform.

Donaldson attended North Carolina A&T State University and was introduced to bebop while serving in the Navy during World War II. He began recording in 1950 and went on to release 50 studio albums as a leader, according to the Stanly News Journal, and he worked with Thelonious Monk, Clifford Brown, Art Blakey and Grant Green. He was named an NEA Jazz Master and inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. In 2022, a stretch of N.C. Highway 740 in Badin was named Lou Donaldson Boulevard.

Donaldson died in 2024 at the age of 98.