Lou Donaldson - Midnight Creeper
Alto Saxophone – Lou Donaldson [click here to see more vinyl featuring Lou Donaldson]
Guitar – George Benson [click here to see more vinyl featuring George Benson]
Trumpet – Blue Mitchell [click here to see more vinyl featuring Blue Mitchell]
Drums – Leo Morris (aka Idris Muhammad) [click here to see more vinyl featuring Idris Muhammad]
Organ – Lonnie Smith
Written by Lou Donaldson (A1, A3), Teddy Vann (A2), Lonnie Smith (B1), Harold Ousley (B2)
1 LP, Gatefold jacket
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33RPM
Size : 12”
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Record Technology Incorporated
Label : Blue Note Tone Poet
Original Label : Blue Note
Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on March 15, 1968
Original sessions produced by Francis Wolff
Reissued produced by Joe Harley
Remastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio
Originally released in September 1968
Reissued in January 2024
Tracks :
Side A:
- Midnight Creeper
- Love Power
- Elizabeth
Side B:
- Bag of Jewels
- Dapper Dan
Reviews :
“As he delved deeper into commercial soul-jazz and jazz-funk, Lou Donaldson became better at it. While lacking the bite of his hard bop improvisations or the hard-swinging funk of Alligator Bogaloo, Midnight Creeper succeeds where its predecessor, Mr. Shing-A-Ling failed: it offers a thoroughly enjoyable set of grooving, funky soul-jazz. The five songs -- including two originals by Donaldson and one each by Lonnie Smith (who also plays organ on the record), Teddy Vann, and Harold Ousley -- aren't particularly distinguished, but the vibe is important, not the material. And the band -- Donaldson, Smith, trumpeter Blue Mitchell, guitarist George Benson, and drummer Leo Morris -- strikes the right note, turning in a fluid, friendly collection of bluesy funk vamps. Donaldson could frequently sound stilted on his commercial soul-jazz dates, but that's not the case with Midnight Creeper. He rarely was quite as loose on his late-'60s/early-'70s records as he is here, and that's what makes Midnight Creeper a keeper.” AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Ratings:
AllMusic 4 / 5 , Discogs 4.21 / 5