AOTW February 26 - March 4, 2007

[mikeweil]

Abbey Lincoln: Straight Ahead

(originally released on Candid LP 9015, available as Candid CD 79015)

Tracks:

1. Straight Ahead

2. When Malindy Sings

3. In The Red

4. Blue Monk

5. Left Alone

6. African Lady

7. Retribution

Personnel: Abbey Lincoln (vocals); Coleman Hawkins, Walter Benton (tenor saxophone); Booker Little (trumpet); Julian Priester (trombone); Eric Dolphy (reeds); Mal Waldron (piano); Art Davis (bass); Max Roach (drums); Roger Sanders, Robert Whitley (congas, percussion). Recorded at Nola Penthouse Studios, New York, New York on February 22, 1961. Includes liner notes by Nat Hentoff.

From CD Universe website:

STRAIGHT AHEAD was recorded in 1961 and was Abbey Lincoln's fifth album in as many years. Though she was only 31 when this set was recorded, Lincoln already possessed great confidence and a powerfully emotive voice. She's surrounded by a superlative cast of players, including Max Roach, Eric Dolphy, Coleman Hawkins, Booker Little, Mal Waldron, and Julian Priester. As Lincoln shifts from playfulness to melancholy, and anger to romance, the band is right with her. The rhythmic support is supple and the soloing is full of emotional resonance and invention, free of needless filigree. One highlight takes place in "When Malindy Sings" (a song based on a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar), as Dolphy's flute flies in after the conclusion of Little's trumpet solo. Though Abbey Lincoln's entire catalog is particularly strong, this album deserves special attention.

This is one of vocalist Abbey Lincoln's greatest recordings, originally released in 1961. It's a testament to the credibility of her very honest music (and her talents) that Lincoln's sidemen on this date includes the immortal tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins.

I ran across this session many many years ago when I was checking out the recordings of Max Roach, who influenced me a lot (I always drew compliments on how funny I sounded when I played Roach solo phrases on conga drums). I didn't know much about the history of jazz vocals at the time, nor had listened to all of the major stylists - King Pleasure's Prestige twofer was my first jazz vocal LP, and I still love vocalese, so you can imagine how much of a contrast listening to Abbey Lincoln was after this. Here was a singer with a bold, stark approach, strongly connected to the black power movement (which interested me politically). The "Suite: Freedom Now!" LP was recorded during that year (and is recommended as listening companion).

When I checked out her Riverside LPs later on, I realized how much she had been coming into her own on Straight Ahead - Roach's influence notwithstanding. The highly energetic quality of her voice moves me to this day.

I agree that the Roach Impulse LPs of that period belong here, too, as does the handful of live recordings by them, and the one track Abbey sang on the Newport Rebels. (An alternate take of that and one of "African Lady" are on the Candid Dolphy CD, btw.)

If I was to pick only a handful of jazz vocal LPs, this would be among them, if only for its strong motional quality.

Edited February 26, 2007 by mikeweil

[B. Goren.]

Great choice Mike. I am not a vocal jazz fan but this one, or let's say Abbey Lincoln, is really something different.

[Late]

I like this session overall. Some tracks don't work for me ("When Malindy Sings"), but the tracks that do work, really work. "Retribution" is particularly affecting.

It's a "vocal" album that has stood the test of time. More than anything, however, I think it bears the stamp not of Lincoln, but of Roach — his musical concerns of the time, and the way he wanted to present "his" music through Lincoln. She seems amenable to it (at least on record), and sings with a poignancy that you don't hear on the earlier Riverside session, for example.

From here, it's good to go to the Roach Impulse! dates with Lincoln on them. I think I may like those even better.

[felser]

I like this session overall. Some tracks don't work for me ("When Malindy Sings"), but the tracks that do work, really work. "Retribution" is particularly affecting.

It's a "vocal" album that has stood the test of time. More than anything, however, I think it bears the stamp not of Lincoln, but of Roach — his musical concerns of the time, and the way he wanted to present "his" music through Lincoln. She seems amenable to it (at least on record), and sings with a poignancy that you don't hear on the earlier Riverside session, for example.

From here, it's good to go to the Roach Impulse! dates with Lincoln on them. I think I may like those even better.

"When Malindy Sings" is the song I really like, both this version and the one by Oscar Brown, Jr. I find Lincoln's later period recordings personally unlistenable (also true of later recordings by most jazz singers for me), but do like this album from early on, consider it her best.

[six string]

I don't have this one so I can't comment on it specifically, but I'm with someone else here that mentioned that they weren't into jazz vocals much but Abbey was different. She is one of the few jazz vocalists that I own multiple albums by. Looking at the musicians on the date, it sounds like a no brainer. I love her phrasing and the sound of her voice. She's really special.

Edited February 26, 2007 by six string

[mikeweil]

On a Verve VHS video on Abbey Lincoln I own, Charlie Haden told how he preferred singers who sang like they talked, and mentioned Billie Holiday, Jeri Southern, and Abbey.

[mikeweil]

I added some commentary about my motivation for this choice in the initial post.

I dug it out recently and was still moved so much by its emotional quality and boldness of concept. I guess this opened the door for the avant garde vocalists to come.

[ep1str0phy]

I like this session overall. Some tracks don't work for me ("When Malindy Sings"), but the tracks that do work, really work. "Retribution" is particularly affecting.

It's a "vocal" album that has stood the test of time. More than anything, however, I think it bears the stamp not of Lincoln, but of Roach — his musical concerns of the time, and the way he wanted to present "his" music through Lincoln. She seems amenable to it (at least on record), and sings with a poignancy that you don't hear on the earlier Riverside session, for example.

From here, it's good to go to the Roach Impulse! dates with Lincoln on them. I think I may like those even better.

True about the "stamp of Roach" thing, and a lot of the Candid dates have that feel. I find that the album is a great showcase for Lincoln, although it will inevitably incite comparisons to other dates of this kidney. The more successful Roach/Lincoln dates of this vintage are, for me, those where the vocals are more fully dissolved into the ensemble context--and hence less explicitly vocalistic or "vocal-centric" in character. We Insist!, for example, has as much Lincoln as any of the Candids outside of Straight Ahead, but it's strictly a group affair (for whatever anyone says, and as potent as Brown and Roach's lyrics are, I fail to hear a dominant voice on those sides--appropriately, I suppose).

Whatever the case, Roach-Lincoln were a startlingly powerful team in those days, and I think it really came out where the sides were as violently aggressive as could match that power (some, but not all, of Straight Ahead).

[fomafomic65]

(...)

From here, it's good to go to the Roach Impulse! dates with Lincoln on them. I think I may like those even better.

True about the "stamp of Roach" thing, (...) Whatever the case, Roach-Lincoln were a startlingly powerful team in those days, and I think it really came out where the sides were as violently aggressive as could match that power (some, but not all, of Straight Ahead).

Edited March 1, 2007 by ArmandoPeraza

[couw]

Those two images are from a german tv special in early '60 ..

Belgian actually.

[JSngry]

I love this album. I love Abbey Lincoln.

Coleman Hawkins!

[mikeweil]

Yeah - Hawk was really connected to the younger generation, having Monk and Max in his band early on, and playing several dates like these with Max and Abbey and Monk around that time. My hat is off!

[kh1958]

I also recommend Kardouba, which has the Max Roach Quartet (Clifford Jordan) with Abbey Lincoln on tour in Europe, in a rather inspired concert performance.

[ep1str0phy]

Yeah - Hawk was really connected to the younger generation, having Monk and Max in his band early on, and playing several dates like these with Max and Abbey and Monk around that time. My hat is off!

Hawk's solo work on We Insist! in particular is some of the most pained, chilling stuff I've heard out of the older generations in the 60's. What a giant...

[Kalo]

I love this album. I love Abbey Lincoln.

Coleman Hawkins!

Not a lot I can add to the above. I love this album. Like the classic Wilson/Holiday sides, this is great jazz, not just great vocal jazz.

[BruceH]

I love this album. I love Abbey Lincoln.

Coleman Hawkins!

Not a lot I can add to the above. I love this album. Like the classic Wilson/Holiday sides, this is great jazz, not just great vocal jazz.

I just love all things 'Lincoln'---the highway, the logs, the President, the singer, the tunnel... Lincoln, baby, LINCOLN!!