Straight Ahead (Abbey Lincoln album)

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Straight Ahead
Studio album by
Released1961
RecordedFebruary 22, 1961
GenreJazz
Length38:52
LabelCandid
ProducerNat Hentoff
Abbey Lincoln chronology
Abbey Is Blue
(1959)
Straight Ahead
(1961)
People in Me
(1973)

Straight Ahead is an album by American jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln featuring performances recorded in 1961 for the Candid label.[1]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
MusicHound Jazz[3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings[4]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide[5]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz[6]

The editors of AllMusic awarded the album 5 stars, and reviewer Scott Yanow stated that "this is one of Abbey Lincoln's greatest recordings".[2]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings singled out the track titled "Retribution" for praise, writing: "For the first time, Lincoln seems willing to confront her music rather than stand up-stage of it. 'Retribution' is raw, responsive and aware. It boded well for what was to come."[4]

Track listing[edit]

  1. "Straight Ahead" (Abbey Lincoln, Earl Baker, Mal Waldron) — 5:24
  2. "When Malindy Sings" (Oscar Brown, Paul Lawrence Dunbar) — 4:05
  3. "In the Red" (Chips Bayen, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach) — 8:32
  4. "Blue Monk" (Abbey Lincoln, Thelonious Monk) — 6:39
  5. "Left Alone" (Billie Holiday, Mal Waldron) — 6:48
  6. "African Lady" (Langston Hughes, Randy Weston) — 3:46
  7. "Retribution" (Abbey Lincoln, Julian Priester) — 3:50
  • Recorded at Nola Penthouse Studios in New York City on February 22, 1961

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Booker Little discography, accessed March 15, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Yanow, S. AllMusic review, accessed March 15, 2011.
  3. ^ Holtje, Steve; Lee, Nancy Ann (1998). MusicHound: The Essential Album Guide. Schirmer. p. 709.
  4. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 894. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  5. ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 126. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
  6. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 538.