Abbey Lincoln
As with her hero Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln always meant the lyrics she sang. A dramatic performer whose interpretations were full of truth and insight, Lincoln actually began her career as a fairly lightweight supper-club singer. She went through several name changes (including Anna Marie, Gaby Lee, and Gaby Woolridge) before settling on Abbey Lincoln. She recorded with Benny Carter in 1956 and performed a number in the 1957 Hollywood film The Girl Can't Help It. Lincoln's first of three albums for Riverside (1957-1959) had Max Roach on drums and he was a major influence on her; she began to be choosy about the songs she sang and to give words the proper emotional intensity. Lincoln held her own on her early dates with such sidemen as Kenny Dorham, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly, Curtis Fuller, and Benny Golson. She was quite memorable on Roach's Freedom Now Suite, showing some very uninhibited emotions. Lincoln's Candid date Straight Ahead (1961) had among its players Roach, Booker Little, Eric Dolphy, and Coleman Hawkins, and she made some important appearances on Roach's Impulse! album Percussion Bitter Suite.
Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach were married in 1962, an association that lasted until 1970. They worked together for a while but Lincoln (who found it harder to get work in jazz due to the political nature of some of her music) became involved in acting and did not record as a leader during 1962-1972. She finally recorded for Inner City in 1973 and gradually became more active in jazz. Her two Billie Holiday tribute albums for Enja (1987) showed listeners that the singer was still in her prime, and she recorded several excellent sets for Verve in the 1990s. In the following years, she released a handful of recordings including Over the Years in 2000; It's Me in 2003; and her final recording, Abbey Sings Abbey, in 2007. Abbey Lincoln died in New York City on August 14, 2010; she was 80 years old. Because she put so much thought into each of her recordings, it is not an understatement to say that every set she issued is well worth owning.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Tender As a Rose
Vocal Jazz - Released by Harmonicism on Apr. 10, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In the Red
Vocal Jazz - Released by Apollos Legacy on Aug. 15, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Straight Ahead (Remastered)
Vocal Jazz - Released by CGH Ventures Inc. on Jan. 4, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Come Sunday
Vocal Jazz - Released by Eminent Legacy Records on Sep. 18, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
She Didn't Say Yes
Vocal Jazz - Released by Lining Lust on May 14, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Together
Vocal Jazz - Released by Acoustic avantgarde on Jul. 25, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
That's Him (Remastered)
Vocal Jazz - Released by CGH Ventures Inc. on Aug. 9, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
That's Him
Vocal Jazz - Released by CGH Ventures Inc. on Aug. 9, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Come Sunday
Vocal Jazz - Released by Acoustic avantgarde on Sep. 18, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of
Vocal Jazz - Released by Vintage Masters Inc. on Apr. 1, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Little Plain Gold Ring
Jazz - Released by plain gold ring on Apr. 21, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In the Theatre
Jazz - Released by in the theatre on Mar. 20, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Time To Relaxe
Jazz - Released by fsp analog 2be on Jun. 19, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Best Christmas Wishes
Jazz - Released by xmas angels 22 on Dec. 20, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Prairie Windstorm
Jazz - Released by prairie windstorm on Feb. 3, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Where The Storm Broke
Jazz - Released by Storm Broke on Dec. 16, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Back 2 Back Divas
Liz Madden, Abbey Lincoln, Annie Ross
Pop - Released by Music Manager on Jul. 15, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo