Abbey Lincoln
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One of my favorite jazz singer/songwriters is Abbey Lincoln, born 1930. One of the numerous beautiful high-minded songs she has written and recorded is "I Got Thunder (And It Rings)" for her 1990 album The World Is Falling Down, featuring Jackie McLean on alto, Clark Terry on trumpet, Alain Jean-Marie on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, Billy Higgins on drums and Ron Carter conducting and arranging.
photo by David Gahr, People magazine, 1990
She recorded her song "Throw It Away" several times, my favorite being from her 1994 album A Turtle's Dream, featuring a guitar solo by Pat Methany.
If you're up for it, check out her song "People in Me" from her 1973 album of the same name.
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Comments (8)
These are interesting tracks, Spike, allowing us a glimpse into the evolution of her style. The later track is such a relaxed, languid performance, fully assured & in command. Methany shines, but hey...water is wet, you know?
In 73 she was fine, but rushed, locked into a rhythm without room for......(still listening)...damn fine track, I don't know, I think a simpler arrangement....damn fine track though.
Did I mention I like this post?
Glad your kindred ear liked it, DM!
Both my ears liked it
I love the thickness of her voice, and the fact that her pitch is not perfect - not terrible, but not perfect - somehow makes her more authentic. She is a favorite for these and other reasons. Won't mention the crush....
dm, even better :-)
ivylander, I like how you notice interesting and important musical qualities that I didn't notice beforehand but do afterwards, and then I find myself trying to convince myself that I was way more aware of them beforehand than I actually was. Wouldn't it be better for me to admit gaps so that I can enjoy treasuring my Trusteds more sometimes?
She certainly has a quirky approach to pitch, which in jazz is of course not a bad thing; to my ears she sounds like a less controlled Fontella Bass, or a more eccentric Nina Simone (!)
Baudolino, would you put her approach to pitch quirkier than Billie Holiday's? It seems less quirky than 1966 Bob Dylan, or the Lotte Lenya school of German singers. Less controlled than Fontella Bass makes sense, though I don't have access to Bass's Art Ensemble of Chicago vocals. More eccentric than Nina Simone deserves the exclamation mark!
In other words, I'm happy you listened carefully.