A1 - Straight Ahead
A2 - When Malinda Sings
A3 - In the Red
B1 - Blue Monk
B2 - Left Alone
B3 - African Lady
B4 - Retribution

Recorded on February 22, 1961, at Nola Penthouse Studios in New York City.

This is one Abbey Licoln's greatest recordings. It is a testament to the credibility of her very honest music (and her talents) that Lincoln's sideman on this date is the immortal tenor saxophonist Colman Hawkins who takes a memorable solo on "Blue Monk", Eric Dolphy on flute and alto, trumpeter Booker Little (whose melancholy tone is very important in the ensembles), pianist Mal Waldron and drummer Max Roach. Highpoints include "When Malindy Sings", "Blue Monk", Billie Holiday's "Left Alone" and "African Lady".

Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach were married in 1962, an association that lasted until 1970. They worked together for a while but Lincoln (who found it harder to work in Jazz due to the political nature of some of her music) became involved in acting and did not record as a leader during 1962-72. She finally recorded for Inner City in 1973 and gradually became more active in Jazz. Her two Billie Holiday tribute albums for Enja (1987) showed listeners that the singer was still in her prime and she has recorded several excellent sets for Verve in the 1990's. As she puts so much thought into each of her recordings, it is not an understatement to say that every Abbey Lincoln set is well worth owning.

The "golden age" of recordings was from 1955 to 1965, at the beginning of the LP and the stereo era, where pure vacuum tube amplification helped produce recordings demonstrating unparalleled fidelity and warmth, lifelike presence and illumination.

This Pure Pleasure LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the original analogue studio tapes through to the cutting head and was pressed with virgin vinyl at Pallas.