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Abbey Lincoln

Great Women Singers: Abbey Lincoln - Live at the Promenade Theater in New York City DVD

Review by Gary Hill

I have to admit to having more knowledge of rock music than I do jazz. Additionally, my tastes in jazz, and consequently my knowledge of it, leans more toward the instrumental variety than the vocal. So, I suppose it's no surprise that I didn't know who Abbey Lincoln was. It is a bit of a shame, though, because she was a very talented singer.

This is a concert video that was originally released in 2005, but this is a brand-new edition. The show was actually recorded in 1991, though. The concert was an hour long, and I have to say that I love how Lincoln shared the limelight with the musicians on stage. She was the star and focal point, but she made sure their talents were not ignored.

Lincoln was heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Lena Horne. I have to say that I prefer Lincoln's voice and performance to either of those talented ladies. If you like great female jazz singers, I'd say that you probably won't find many better.

It seems that part of my ignorance of her talents comes from the fact that she was not as prolific as a lot of other artists. So, she might be lacking in name-recognition or quantify of output. She's clearly not lacking in quality, though.

This concert is only an hour long, and that's a shame. It definitely left me wishing there was more. The performance is absolutely top-notch, and the video and audio quality are both quite good for their era.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2022  Volume 6. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2022.

 
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