Abbey Lincoln was in her late fifties at the time of this 1987 session in Paris, but she was showing little wear on her voice, aside for a slightly more pronounced vibrato. Joining her for this session is
Archie Shepp on soprano and tenor saxophones, trumpeter
Roy Burrowes, pianist
Hilton Ruiz, bassist
Jack Gregg, and drummer Freddie Waits. The sparse liner notes give no background as to how this session or choice of musicians came about, and at times there is such an informal air that one would think that this was a run-through prior to a record date or concert. The extended workout of
Duke Ellington's "Sophisticated Lady" lives up to its title, with
Lincoln,
Shepp (on soprano sax),
Burrowes (on muted trumpet), and
Ruiz shining in their respective solos. The vocalist interprets several several of her originals, though she comments to the musicians midway through "Golden Lady" that she thinks the tempo may be a bit too slow, while she also seems to stumble at one point. But she shines in her defiant "Throw It Away."
Ruiz sets up
Michel Legrand's "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" with a lush solo, and while this isn't the type of material one associates with
Lincoln, she delivers a stunning, original interpretation. The release could have been improved in several ways. At times, the sound was overmodulated by the original session engineer, unnecessarily distorting
Lincoln's voice and
Shepp's saxes at times, while occasionally there is a bit too much reverb used on the leader's vocals. It's also puzzling not to see any composer/lyricist credits listed in the package or on the disc itself.