Abbey Is Blue (Remastered) Abbey Lincoln

• 1 Afro-Blue 03:19
• 2 Lonely House 03:39
• 3 Let Up 05:29
• 4 Thursday's Child 03:30
• 5 Brother, Where Are You? 03:08
• 6 Laugh, Clown, Laugh 05:21
• 7 Come Sunday 05:13
• 8 Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise 02:46
• 9 Lost In The Stars 04:09
• 10 Long As You're Living 02:31
• Total Runtime 39:05

Info for Abbey Is Blue (Remastered)

"Abbey Is Blue" by renowned vocalist, songwriter, and activist Abbey Lincoln (1930-2010). Originally released on Riverside in 1959 as her fourth overall album and final release on the label, the album saw Lincoln team up with Max Roach, Stanley Turrentine, Philly Joe Jones, and other great sidemen for a selection of tracks hand-picked by Lincoln.

From the Street Scene number “Lonely House,” penned by Langston Hughes and Kurt Weill, to the Mongo Santamaria/Oscar Brown standard “Afro-Blue,” Weill and Maxwell Anderson’s stirring “Lost in the Stars,” and the original composition “Let Up,” Abbey Is Blue shows Lincoln demonstrating creative control and using her music to speak out against injustice.

The album arrives newly remastered from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at CoHEARent Audio. The result will be available on 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI. And if this title is anything like Craft’s previous jazz reissues, it’ll no doubt be a pleasure to experience for listeners old and new.

"Abbey Lincoln's third of three Riverside albums directly precedes her more adventurous work with drummer (and then-husband) Max Roach. With fine backup from trumpeter Kenny Dorham, pianist Wynton Kelly, Les Spann (doubling on guitar and flute), bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Philly Joe Jones) on seven of the ten numbers, and by Roach's regular quintet at the time on the other three selections, Lincoln is quite emotional and distinctive during a particularly strong set. Highlights include the first vocal version ever of "Afro-Blue," "Come Sunday," Oscar Brown, Jr.'s "Brother, Where Are You," "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise," "Long as You're Living," and Lincoln's own "Let Up." A very memorable set." (Scott Yanow, AMG)

Abbey Lincoln, vocals
Kenny Dorham, trumpet (tracks 2, 4 & 7-9)
Tommy Turrentine, trumpet (tracks 1, 3, 6 & 10)
Julian Priester, trombone (tracks 1, 3, 6 & 10)
Stanley Turrentine, tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 3, 6 & 10)
Les Spann, guitar (tracks 2, 4 & 7-9), flute (track 5)
Wynton Kelly, piano (tracks 2, 4, 5)
Cedar Walton, piano (tracks 3 & 6)
Phil Wright, piano (tracks 7-9)
Bobby Boswell, bass (tracks 1, 3, 6 & 10)
Sam Jones, bass (tracks 2, 4, 5 & 7-9)
Philly Joe Jones, drums (tracks 2, 4, 5 & 7-9)
Max Roach, drums (tracks 1, 3, 6 & 10)

Digitally remastered

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, AMG)

This album contains no booklet.