Who Used To Dance (LP)

The late Abbey Lincoln was one of the greats in jazz singing and composition. 65 at the time of this recording, the singer performs a fiery musical statement and maintains her own distinctive manner of delivering a lyric.

This 1998 Verve release mostly emphasizes slow tempos and melancholy moods. Seven of the nine tracks on Who Used To Dance are ballads that serve to demonstrate the graininess in Lincoln's voice, with highlights such as the nostalgic "Who Used to Dance" (featuring Savion Glover's tapdancing) "Street of Dreams" and an exceptionally charming "Mr. Tambourine Man". Alto saxophonists Frank Morgan, Steve Coleman, Oliver Lake, Justin Robinson, and Riley Bandy III provide feature work and several insightful solos, and the rhythm team of pianist Marc Cary, bassist Michael Bowie, and drummer Aaron Walker provide finest ballad accompaniment.