Marion Rampal Song For Abbey: Tribute To Abbey Lincoln

Song for Abbey is a tribute to the extraordinary singer, composer, poet, activist, and actress Abbey Lincoln, whose unique voice left an indelible mark on the history of jazz.
To pay tribute is to acknowledge a debt. What do we owe Abbey Lincoln? She carved out a spiritual and aesthetic path that grew ever richer as her career unfolded. Known as a singular and deeply moving performer—alongside Max Roach in particular—she later emerged as a remarkable songwriter. In the late 1990s she released a series of deeply personal albums that together form a powerful songbook, though one too rarely revisited.
“Caged Bird,” “Learning How to Listen,” “The Music Is the Magic”... treasures that Marion Rampal, profoundly influenced by this woman of many lives and many hats, has chosen to celebrate with her fellow musicians. Together with some of Lincoln’s iconic or lesser known songs, they weave covers that illuminate her roots and her musical loves (Dylan, Oscar Brown Jr....), amongst them Skylark, on which they invite guitarist Bill Frisell, as well as an original piece co-written and sang with one of Abbey’s longtime fellow travellers—Archie Shepp.
Brimming with melodies and open forms, wildness and joy , Song for Abbey is conceived as an act of living memory—invoking and sharing the spirit of a towering artist, one who saw jazz as a true mean for what she called “character building.”
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Song for Abbey est un hommage à l'immense chanteuse, compositrice, poétesse, activiste et actrice Abbey Lincoln, qui a marqué l’histoire du Jazz de sa voix unique.
Rendre un hommage, c’est reconnaître une dette. Que doit-on à Abbey Lincoln? Elle a tracé un chemin spirituel et esthétique d'une richesse grandissante au fil de sa carrière. Connue comme une interprète bouleversante et singulière, notamment au côté de Max Roach, elle s’est révélée sur le tard la songwriter d’une œuvre étonnante: à la fin 90 elle publia une série de disques éminemment personnels, qui dessinent un songbook majeur, pourtant peu repris.
“Caged Bird”, “Learning how to Listen”, “The Music is the Magic”... des merveilles que Marion Rampal, intimement influencée par cette grande dame aux mille vies et aux mille chapeaux, célèbre aux côtés de ses musiciens. Aux compositions phares ou plus confidentielles de Lincoln, Ils mêlent des reprises éclairant ses ancrages, ses amours musicales (Dylan, Oscar Brown Jr...), dont Skylark, avec en invité le guitariste Bill Frisell, et un morceau original, cosigné et chanté avec un musicien qui fut un compagnon de route d’Abbey, Archie Shepp.
Foisonnant de mélodies autant que de matières libres, sauvage et joyeux, Song for Abbey se veut être un geste de mémoire vive, invoquant et partageant l’esprit d’une immense artiste, qui considérait le Jazz comme la forme la plus propice à ce qu’elle appelait “la construction du caractère” .