Abbey Lincoln, a great lady of the vocal Jazz whose heroe and teacher was Billie Holiday and just like her always means the lyrics he sings. This very good record is the joined reedition of the two sessions dedicated to Holiday V1 and V2 and although Abbey really never copycatted her teacher Lady Day, besides having their own style and sound, the intensity, the feeling that she puts in these performances resembles Holiday's way of singing during her last phase. In these Cd' s Lincoln offers fresh rendition of standards, joined by the good Tenor Sax Harold Vick, who passed away a short time after this recording, pianist James Weidman, Tarik Shah playing bass and the well-known drummer Mark Johnson.
Reissued several times since it originally came out on a Candid LP, this is one of Abbey Lincoln's greatest recordings. It is a testament to the credibility of her very honest music (and her talents) that Lincoln's sidemen on this date include the immortal tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins (who takes a memorable solo on "Blue Monk"), Eric Dolphy on flute and alto, trumpeter Booker Little (whose melancholy tone is very important in the ensembles), pianist Mal Waldron, and drummer Max Roach. Highpoints include "When Malindy Sings," "Blue Monk," Billie Holiday's "Left Alone," and "African Lady".
Abbey Lincoln's follow-up album to People in Me retains her wise and somewhat defiant attitude, while expressing deep-seated feelings of womanhood, personal growth, and freedom. This recording departs from the prior effort in that only half of the tracks are originals, while saxophonist Archie Shepp and trumpeter Roy Burrowes take over for Dave Liebman when he was with a primarily Japanese/American mix of bandmates. Here it's an all-U.S.-based group with drummer Freddie Waits, bassist Jack Gregg, and the exceptional pianist Hilton Ruiz joining Shepp, Burrowes, and Lincoln.
Limited edition Deluxe 8CD set featuring the best female voices in jazz history. This is no ordinary compilation, but an anthology of 15 complete original albums by some of the best loved jazz vocalists: Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae, Anita O day, Abbey Lincoln, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald etc.
Verve Records celebrated the 50th anniversary of Norman Granz's first Jazz at the Philharmonic concert with an all-star get-together at Carnegie Hall. Different groups of top players from Verve's legacy (both past and present) had opportunities to perform, and this CD has many of the highlights. Pianist Peter Delano plays "Tangerine" with a trio; Dee Dee Bridgewater sings "Shiny Stockings" with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band; Hank Jones pays tribute to Art Tatum; Abbey Lincoln sings "I Must Have That Man"; Joe Henderson meets up with Antonio Carlos Jobim (who made his final concert appearance) on "Desafinado"; "Manteca" features trumpeter Roy Hargrove and trombonist Steve Turre; pianist Yosuke Yamashita pays tribute to Bud Powell; Betty Carter scats on "How High the Moon"; Herbie Hancock and John McLaughlin play a restrained acoustic version of Bill Evans' "Turn out the Stars"; Hargrove teams up with altoist Jackie McLean and guitarist Pat Metheny for "The Eternal Triangle"; organist Jimmy Smith revisits Oliver Nelson's arrangement of "Down by the Riverside"; Art Porter and Jeff Lorber play some crossover, and J.J. Johnson contributes a few trombone solos.
Concord Music Group will release five new titles in its Original Jazz Classics Remasters series. Enhanced by 24-bit remastering by Joe Tarantino, several bonus tracks on nearly each disc (some previously unreleased) and new liner notes providing historical context to the original material, the series celebrates the 60th anniversary of Riverside Records, the prolific New York-based label that showcased some of the most influential jazz artists and recordings of the 1950s and '60s.
The celebration of the Easter Mystery has traditionally been considered to be the core of Christian liturgy. The Triduum Paschale, also known as the Holy Triduum or the Easter Triduum, begins on Holy Thursday and ends on Easter. Pascha is originally a Hebrew word which means transitus, or 'passage': Jesus' passage from death to life, from this world to his heavenly Father (Joh 13:1). The chants which have interpreted the prayers of the Cistercian Order for centuries may best express what an abbey community is about: the deep and unfathomable connection with earth, with man and with God.
Carmen McRae, a good friend of Thelonious Monk, sang 13 of his songs (two of which are also heard in different live versions) on this memorable project. Half of the lyrics are by Jon Hendricks, while the remainder were written by Abbey Lincoln ("Blue Monk"), Bernie Hanighen, Sally Swisher, or Mike Ferro. On all but the two concert performances, McRae is assisted by tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, pianist Eric Gunnison, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Al Foster; Mraz's solos are particularly impressive, although everyone is in sensitive form. The live recordings give listeners two more chances to acknowledge the uniqueness of tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse's tone. As for McRae, her phrasing has rarely sounded better than on this classic set, and it is a particular pleasure to hear her interpret the intelligent lyrics and unusual melodies…
This, one of Tippett's earliest acknowledged works, is one of his most popular. The music relates the true story of a young German Jew who, terrified and enraged at the treatment of his mother, kills a Nazi officer and touches off a violent pogrom. Tippett adopts the structure of Bach's Passions, in which arias alternate with choruses and Lutheran hymns (chorales), although in place of the chorales Tippett substitutes magnificently moving Negro spirituals. "A Child of our Time" offers music of rage, poignancy, and deep compassion. As the title itself implies, it is both specific to a certain time and place, and universal as well. No lover of classical music can afford to ignore it.