It's Me (album)
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''It's Me'' is an album by jazz vocalist
Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist and songwriter. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of delivering dee ...
. It was recorded during November 25–27, 2002, at
Sear Sound Walter Edmond Sear (27 April 1930 – 29 April 2010) was an American recording engineer, musician, instrument importer and designer, inventor, composer and film producer. He was considered a pioneer in the use of the synthesizer and an expert on ...
in New York City, and was released in 2003 by
Verve Records Verve Records is an active American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Ca ...
and Gitanes Jazz Productions. On the album, Lincoln is joined by saxophonist and flutist
James Spaulding James Ralph Spaulding Jr. (was born July 30, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United states, Spaulding attended the Chicago Cosmopolitan School of Music. Between 1957 and 1961, he was a member of ...
, saxophonist Julien Lourau, pianist
Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Early life ...
, double bassist
Ray Drummond Ray Drummond (born November 23, 1946, in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an Master of Business Administration, MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He can be ...
, and drummer Jaz Sawyer. Seven tracks also feature an orchestra, the recordings of which were overdubbed on February 10, 2003, at
Right Track Studios Sound on Sound Studios, formerly known as MSR Studios (Manhattan Sound Recordings), is a photography and movie producing company recording facility in Montclair, New Jersey. Its forebear, MSR Studios, was located in Manhattan, just outside Times ...
in New York City. The music on the orchestral tracks was arranged and conducted by
Alan Broadbent Alan Leonard Broadbent (born 23 April 1947) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, arranger, and composer known for his work with artists such as Sue Raney, Charlie Haden, Woody Herman, Chet Baker, Irene Kral, Sheila Jordan, Natalie Cole, Warne M ...
and
Laurent Cugny Laurent Cugny (born 14 April 1955 in La Garenne-Colombes) is a French jazz musician (pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger), jazz critic and musicologist. In 1987, he recorded two albums with his big band Lumière and Gil Evans. Awards *Djan ...
.


Reception

In a review for
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, Robert L. Doerschuk wrote: "Whether working with or without strings, incolnmaintains a sophisticated and intimate tunefulness; her adherence to melody, and to subtle phrasing as an alternative to showy improvisation, has always earned comparisons to the work of Billie Holiday, though in this case Lincoln more than matches and arguably surpasses much of the legendary singer's work." A reviewer for ''
All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...
'' stated: "Lincoln continues to produce timeless recordings... ''It's Me'' is as strong as any entry in her half-century discography... Lincoln shows us again that she excels in being both a most memorable interpreter and an original singer/songwriter." The authors of ''
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...
'' praised the title track and
Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and c ...
's "The Maestro," where Barron's "genius shines out alongside Abbey's gift as a lyricist." However, they noted that "one increasingly feels that Lincoln has now settled into a reliably grand manner which will see her through." Mark Anthony Neal of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' commented: "so much of Lincoln's verve is about her voice — those once disparaged flat tones — and the myriad of colors that Lincoln summons within those tones... it's Lincoln's loyal fans and new converts who most benefit, as we've been able to witness 'A Woman at Her Peak'... in the autumn of her life." A writer for ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' remarked: "When Abbey Lincoln sings, people listen, especially aspiring—as well as established—female vocalists... hevocalizes with authority; her husky, dark-tinged voice is drenched in melancholy, buoyant with joy and steeped in wisdom." ''
CMJ New Music Report CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
s Tad Hendrickson wrote: "Through a myriad of colors, moods, emotions and her singular... vocal range... Lincoln comes closer to the spirit of Billie Holiday's music than any of her peers... heputs forth yet another strong effort... the album's highlight is the gospel-flavored title cut - the voice and piano arrangement is solid with exceptional performances by Lincoln and pianist Kenny Barron."


Track listing

# "
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" (
Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...
,
Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Wallichs Music Cit ...
) – 5:25 # "Love Is Made" (Abbey Lincoln) – 4:02 # "Chateaux de Joux" (Abbey Lincoln) – 4:38 # "It's Me, O' Lord (Standin' in the Need of Prayer)" (Abbey Lincoln, traditional) – 3:42 # "They Call It Jazz" (Abbey Lincoln) – 5:14 # "Through the Years" (Abbey Lincoln) – 4:30 # " Runnin' Wild" (Arthur Gibbs, Joe Grey,
Leo Wood Leo Wood ''(aka'' Jack Wood; ''né'' Leopold Wood Lantheaume; 2 September 1882 – 2 August 1929) was an American songwriter and lyricist. Career Leo Wood was born in San Francisco to Louis Ferdinand Lantheaume and Hannah Marcuse Wood ''(maiden) ...
) – 3:52 # "The Maestro" (
Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and c ...
) – 5:25 # "The Search" (Robert Wooldridge) – 5:31 # "Yellow Bird" (
Irving Burgie Irving Louis Burgie (July 28, 1924 – November 29, 2019), sometimes known professionally as Lord Burgess, was an American musician and songwriter, regarded as one of the greatest composers of Caribbean music.

Personnel

*
Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist and songwriter. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of delivering dee ...
– vocals *
James Spaulding James Ralph Spaulding Jr. (was born July 30, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, United states, Spaulding attended the Chicago Cosmopolitan School of Music. Between 1957 and 1961, he was a member of ...
– alto saxophone, flute * Julien Lourau – tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone *
Kenny Barron Kenneth Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist and composer who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Early life ...
– piano *
Ray Drummond Ray Drummond (born November 23, 1946, in Brookline, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an Master of Business Administration, MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop. He can be ...
– double bass * Jaz Sawyer – drums ;Orchestra (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 9–10) *
Alan Broadbent Alan Leonard Broadbent (born 23 April 1947) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, arranger, and composer known for his work with artists such as Sue Raney, Charlie Haden, Woody Herman, Chet Baker, Irene Kral, Sheila Jordan, Natalie Cole, Warne M ...
– conductor, arranger (tracks 2, 5, 9) *
Laurent Cugny Laurent Cugny (born 14 April 1955 in La Garenne-Colombes) is a French jazz musician (pianist, bandleader, composer and arranger), jazz critic and musicologist. In 1987, he recorded two albums with his big band Lumière and Gil Evans. Awards *Djan ...
– conductor, arranger (tracks 1, 3, 6, 10) * Susan Niedel-Palma, Susan Rotholv – flute * Steve Hartman, Shari Hoffman – clarinet * Bob Carlisle, Dan Culpepper, Jeff Lang, Stewart Rose – French horn *
Sanford Allen Sanford Allen (born 1939) is an American classical violinist. At the age of 10, he began studying violin at the Juilliard School of Music and continued at the Mannes School of Music under Vera Fonaroff. He was the first African-American regular me ...
, Jonathan Dinklege, Joyce Hammann, Ashley Horn, Regis Iandiorio, Pauline Kim, Belinda Whitney, Kristof Witek, Robin Zeh – violin * Ted Ackerman, Akua Dixon Turre, David Heiss, Ariane Lallemand, Richard Locker, Alexandra McKenzie,
Kermit Moore Kermit Moore (March 11, 1929 – November 11, 2013) was an American conductor, cellist, and composer. Early life and education Of African American heritage, Moore was born in Akron, Ohio. While still in high school, Moore studied at the Cl ...
– cello


References

{{Abbey Lincoln 2003 albums Abbey Lincoln albums Verve Records albums