| Jazz |
At a time when jazz increasingly leans on studio precision and digital polish, a live album remains one of the most honest ways to measure a musician’s artistry. It captures not only technique but temperament, how a player listens, reacts, and shapes a performance in real time. In that sense, this recording stands as a quietly persuasive argument for tradition, reminding listeners that swing, tone, and musical conversation still matter.
If there is a single reservation, it lies in the programing: the album includes only two tracks that fully spotlight the guitarist as a leader or featured voice. The rest of the repertoire places him within broader ensemble settings, where his presence is essential but more subtly woven into the collective sound. Even so, what emerges unmistakably is a musician of formidable swing and near-flawless timing, precise without rigidity, reliable without ever sounding routine.
“I’ve simply never lost my love for warm notes, great standards, and the pursuit of the best performance possible,” says the guitarist, a Philadelphia native whose career began in Hawaii. There, he worked with jazz veterans Trummy Young and Gabe Balthazar and performed with Del Courtney at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Those formative experiences instilled a respect for melody and groove that continues to define his playing.
After relocating to Las Vegas, Doug McDonald entered a demanding and energetic musical ecosystem. Night after night, in lounges and showrooms, he shared the stage with major figures such as Joe Williams, Carl Fontana, Jack Montrose, and Carson Smith. One can almost hear that apprenticeship in this live recording: during a mid-tempo swing number, McDonald steps forward for a solo that unfolds patiently, building chorus by chorus, responding to the drummer’s accents and drawing approving murmurs from the audience as the rhythm section locks in behind him.
Los Angeles marked the next chapter. There, McDonald performed with the orchestras of Bill Holman, Ray Anthony, and John Clayton, and collaborated with an extraordinary range of artists including Jake Hanna, Rosemary Clooney, Jack Sheldon, Bob Cooper, Ross Tompkins, Ray Brown, Buddy Rich, and Ray Charles. Alongside these high-profile collaborations, he developed his own projects, leading a trio, a quartet, and eventually his 13-piece ensemble, The Jazz Coalition.
This album adds another title to McDonald’s extensive discography, but its value extends well beyond completists. For jazz newcomers, it functions as an accessible point of entry, offering clear examples of phrasing, harmonic logic, and rhythmic discipline. For more seasoned listeners, it plays like a catalog of the guitarist’s musical affinities: compositions driven by pulse, rich in swing, and built to support intricate, demanding solos.
The fact that this is a live recording only reinforces McDonald’s artistic credibility. Without the safety net of studio editing, his consistency and musical judgment are fully exposed, and fully intact. The album reveals a musician capable of balancing individual expression with ensemble responsibility, a skill that has become increasingly rare.
For younger generations of jazz guitarists, this recording may prove especially significant. It offers a practical lesson in how to honor tradition without sounding dated, and how technical mastery can serve musical storytelling rather than overwhelm it. More broadly, Doug McDonald emerges here as a quiet but essential figure in contemporary jazz: a bridge between eras, a custodian of swing, and a reminder that the fundamentals, time, tone, and taste, remain the music’s most enduring virtues.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, January 27th 2026
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Musicians:
Doug MacDonald – Guitar
Lou Shoch – Bass/Vocals
Billy Paul – Drums
Track Listing:
Samba De Orfeo (Luis Bonfa) 5:05
Unimpressed (Doug MacDonald) 5:06
Mall Blues (Doug MacDonald) 4:23
The Night Has A Thousand Eyes (Jerry Brainin) 8:00
Early In The Morning (Louis Jordan) 4:01
Baubles, Bangles and Beads (Robert Wright) 6:23
Yesterdays (Jerome David Kern) 4:53
Mixed and Mastered by David J Williams
Produced by Ben Scholz
Artwork by Spencer Porter