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
-
Straight Ahead
Jazz - Released by CoolNote on 12 Feb 2013
The Qobuz Essential Discography16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Come Sunday, Vol. 2
Jazz - Released by Supreme Media on 1 Feb 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Abbey Lincoln's Affair (Bonus Track Version)
Vocal Jazz - Released by Jazz Musts on 15 Jun 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sophisticated Lady (Live (Remastered))
R&B - Released by Laserlight Digital on 18 Mar 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
-
Affair...A Story Of A Girl
Soul - Released by Master Classics Records on 1 Jan 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of Jazz Legends - Female Jazz Singers, Vol. 10
Vocal Jazz - Released by Documents 2 on 8 Sep 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
We Insist! Freedom Now Suite
Jazz - Released by Music Manager on 1 Jan 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Abbey Is Blue (2018 Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Released by AVID Jazz on 1 Jun 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Above the Clouds
Jazz - Released by getmyhits rec. on 23 Jun 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Abbey Lincoln's Affair...A Story Of A Girl In Love (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by RevOla on 19 Aug 2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lost in the Stars
Vocal Jazz - Released by Blue Mood on 13 Sep 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Freedom Day
Vocal Jazz - Released by Acoustic avantgarde on 14 Nov 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Ultimate Collection 1957-60
Vocal Jazz - Released by Master Classics Records on 1 May 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
-
Porgy
Vocal Jazz - Released by Brain Candy Recordings on 8 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The World Is A Paradise
Jazz - Released by paradise partner musics on 23 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All Africa
Vocal Jazz - Released by Aphrodites choice on 28 Nov 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Abbey Lincoln's Affair...A Story Of A Girl In Love
Jazz - Released by Hallmark on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite
Jazz - Released by Vintage Cellar on 30 Jun 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo