Abbey Lincoln Abbey Is Blue 180g LP

TAS Rated 5/5 Music, 3.5/5 Sonics in the September 2021 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Abbey Is Blue is the fourth album by American jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln, featuring tracks recorded in 1959 for Riverside Records. A breakout performance for the jazz legend - this album displays Lincoln perfectly poised between jazz for show and jazz with a purpose. The album features an all-star lineup that includes Kenny Dorham, Stanley Turrentine, Wynton Kelly, Sam Jones, Philly Joe Jones and Max Roach. 180G LP. Single Tip-On Jacket.

In 1960, Abbey Lincoln was given a major platform for her vocal talents on Max Roach's daring political jazz album We Insist!. It opened the doors to collaborations with Eric Dolphy and Cedar Walton, as well as acting gigs for TV and film. That work has often overshadowed Lincoln's earlier efforts, like this wonderful collection recorded for Riverside in 1959. The music is delicate and restrained. The musicians - Stanley Turrentine, Julian Priester and Philly Joe Jones, among them - sneak into the picture cautiously, not daring to pull focus from Lincoln's cooly powerful vocals. She exerts no effort and avoids all flights of musical fancy. Lincoln states her case plainly and beautifully. And this new edition, remastered by the great Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio, feels as rich and indulgent as a lava cake.

We all get the blues, and sometimes it takes a musician who has plunged into the depths to help us come out on the other side. Abbey Lincoln was able to do just that.