During the late 1950s, Abbey Lincoln became involved in the civil-rights movement. The most famous result of that involvement was her strong, committed vocals on Max Roach’s We Insist! – Freedom Now Suite (Candid, 1960) reviewed here.
Straight Ahead is the follow-up from 1961, also on Candid, and like its precursor, it features a stellar line-up of some of the greatest pioneers of modern jazz, performing angular modern arrangements. Unusually for a female vocalist at the time, Lincoln received a composer’s credit on multiple tracks.
There are some classic performances here, especially the title track, and When Malindy Sings by Oscar Brown Jr. Other tracks include Thelonious Monk’s Blue Monk, Billie Holiday and Mal Waldron’s Left Alone, and Randy Weston’s African Lady with lyrics by Langston Hughes. However, Blue Monk is spoiled by rather irritating lyrics.
It’s worth pondering Lincoln’s approach to jazz vocal improvisation and interpretation. It’s often said – and was by Lincoln herself, for instance in an interview with Ted Panken – that Billie Holiday was a great influence on her. Like Holiday, she’s an interpreter of the lyric rather than a virtuosic vocal improviser.
She manipulates the time, and on tracks that are mid-tempo and upwards, shows excellent control while singing behind the beat – a fine example is When Malindy Sings. But there’s a physicality in Lincoln’s delivery that embodies and owns the songs rather than just interpreting them. She’s assertive and confident, with an overt political affirmation. What could be called stridency and “belting” is roots blues in Bessie Smith’s dramatic tradition, in contrast to Holiday’s “less is more” aesthetic.
As Louise Gibbs commented in an earlier review of Lincoln in Jazz Journal, there’s a determinedly Afro-American speech quality in her tone and tuning, with explicit attempts to raise black and feminist consciousness. It adds up to a distinctive approach, evident on this classic album.
Discography
Straight Ahead; When Malindy Sings; In The Red; Blue Monk; Left Alone; African Lady; Retribution (39.13)
Lincoln (v); Booker Little (t); Julian Priester (tb); Eric Dolphy (as, bcl, f, picc); Walter Benton, Coleman Hawkins (ts); Mal Waldron (p); Art Davis (b); Max Roach (d); Roger Sanders, Robert Whitley (cga). New York City, 22 February 1961.
Candid Records CLP30151
