Abbey Lincoln - Abbey is Blue
Vocals - Abbey Lincoln
Tenor Saxophone – Stanley Turrentine [click here to see more products featuring Stanley Turrentine]
Trumpet – Kenny Dorham [click here to see more products featuring Kenny Dorham]
Drums – Philly Joe Jones [click here to see more products featuring Philly Joe Jones]
Drums - Max Roach - Drums [click here to see more products featuring Max Roach]
Piano – Wynton Kelly [click here to see more products featuring Wynton Kelly]
Piano – Cedar Walton
Piano – Phil Wright
Flute, Guitar – Les Spann
Bass – Bobby Boswell, Sam Jones
Trombone – Julian Priester
Trumpet – Tommy Turrentine
Written by Langston Hughes, Kurt Weill (A2, B4), Abbey Lincoln (A3), Elisse Boyd, Murray Grand (A4), Oscar Brown, Jr. (A5), Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young (B1), Duke Ellington (B2), Oscar Hammerstein II, Sigmund Romberg (B3), Maxwell Anderson (B4), Oscar Brown, Jr., Tommy Turrentine (B5)
1 LP, Standard Sleeve
Original analog Master Tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180 g
Record Color : Black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12’’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : RTI
Label : Craft Recordings
Original Label : Riverside
Recorded Spring and Fall, 1959 - New York City
Engineered by Jack Higgins
Produced by Bill Grauer, Orrin Keepnews
Remastered by Kevin Gray
Liner Notes by Orrin Keepnews
Design by Harris Lewine, Ken Braren, Paul Bacon
Photography by Lawrence N. Shustak
Originally released in 1959
Reissued in 2024
Tracks :
- Afro-Blue
- Lonely House
- Let Up
- Thursday's Child
- Brother, Where Are You?
- Laugh, Clown, Laugh
- Come Sunday
- Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise
- Lost In The Stars
- Long As You're Living
« 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." AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow.
Allmusic : 4.5 / 5 ; Discogs : 4.62 / 5 ; All About Jazz : 4.5 / 5 ; DownBeat : 5 / 5 ; The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings : 3.5 / 4 ; PopMatters : 9 / 10 ; The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide : 5 / 5 ; The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz : 4 / 5