Abbey Lincoln: Live at the Promenade Theater in New York City

Abbey Lincoln was born Anna Marie Woolridge in 1930 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised in rural Michigan she began playing the piano at a very young age. With a career that included film work and over 50 years of song, she was also a poet and composer. Like her influences Billie Holiday and Lena Horne, she fought not to let her stunning beauty overshadow her gifts as a singer and musical performer.

She recorded her debut album, “Abbey Lincoln’s Affair,” in 1956. After a few movie roles she became, through her marriage to jazz great Max Roach, a musical force in the world of jazz in New York City. During the late 1970s and 1980s, Abbey was rarely seen or heard in performance. In 1990 Verve Records released “The World is Falling Down,” which propelled Abbey back to stardom. In 1991, her follow-up album with Stan Getz, “You Gotta Pay the Band” secured her place as an important definitive jazz singer and composer.

This 1991 performance was recorded at the Promenade Theater in New York City. Presented in the round, Lincoln, looking exquisite and backed by a jazz quintet, featuring legendary saxophonist Steve Coleman, offered up striking original compositions like “Bird Alone,” and “When I’m Calling Home” with her personal interpretation of the blues standard, “Brother Can You Spare a Dime?” Her concert at the Promenade is a memorable work that cemented her successful comeback to the live performance stage.

Performances:
1. Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams
2. Up Jumped Spring
3. A Time For Love
4. Bird Alone
5. You Gotta Pay The Band
6. Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
7. When I’m Called Home
8. I’m In Love