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Brown Penny 4:460:00/4:46
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When I'm Called Home 3:190:00/3:19
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0:00/4:25
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Still Life 7:580:00/7:58
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Boo Dah 4:540:00/4:54
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So It Always Happens 4:310:00/4:31
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Joie De Vivre 5:160:00/5:16
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Maybe 4:030:00/4:03
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0:00/4:57
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Dewey's Tune 4:230:00/4:23
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0:00/5:54
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Twilight Delight 5:080:00/5:08
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Straight No Chaser 5:020:00/5:02
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0:00/2:50
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Wholly Earth 5:280:00/5:28
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Music Is the Magic 3:240:00/3:24
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I'm In Love 4:430:00/4:43
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Still Life 7:580:00/7:58
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Boo Dah 4:540:00/4:54
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Dewey's Tune 4:230:00/4:23
“On GHOST OF YESTERDAY, Teri wrote lyrics to two Lester Young saxophone solos, and to Ella Fitzgerald’s vocalese on the tune 'Them There Eyes'—all in the context of a Billie Holiday tribute. Thelonious Monk’s family blessed her lyrics to the composer’s classic 'Misterioso, which she rechristened 'Listen To Your Soul.' That blend of daring and intimacy with the music is evident in her singing… ” - BRITT ROBSON
— Minneapolis City Pages 2018
“On last year’s thoroughly rewarding GHOST OF YESTERDAY: SHADES OF LADY DAY, Teri shows her depth and range, sparkling on Gil-Scott Heron’s lively, sax-spiked 'Lady Day and John Coltrane,' the saucy, scat-buoyed 'What a Little Moonlight Can Do' and the wonderfully woozy 'It’s Easy to Remember. ” - JON BREAM
— Minneapolis Star/Tribune 2018
“Teri has an intuitive laid back sense of time reminiscent of Abbey Lincoln and Betty Carter but with her own uniqueness. ” - JACK DEJOHNETTE, legendary drummer and 2012 NEA Jazz Master
Her notes, her swing, her sound, and the all-encompassing soulfulness of Teri giving meaning to the music and the moment said all there is to say. She had all of the essence that anyone wants to hear anytime from a true jazz singer…She is made for those who still understand the meaning of the term ‘the real thing.’ STANLEY CROUCH (acclaimed jazz author, critic and 2019 NEA Jazz Master)
“GHOST OF YESTERDAY: Shades of Lady Day: Since Billie Holiday was a major influence on Abbey Lincoln, it’s entirely apt that vocalist Teri Roiger, who owes a considerable debt to both, follows her 2012 tribute to Lincoln—a fine, thoughtful appreciation—with an equally imaginative salute to Holiday. Roiger opens with a less funky but no less stirring take on Gil Scott-Heron’s 'Lady Day and John Coltrane.' Later, she offers up her own paean, 'Lady Day,' based on music contributed to Roiger by the late David “Fathead” Newman, dotted with Holiday touchstones, including references to Lester Young and 'Don’t Explain.' Both Young and Holiday recorded 'I Don’t Stand) A Ghost of a Chance With You,' though not together. Roiger introduces her version by adding sage lyrics to Young’s solo, with Jay Collins accompanying on tenor saxophone. Young’s solo on 'Fine and Mellow,' recorded with Holiday, is lyrically retraced with equal aplomb, here with support from trombonist Roswell Rudd. And she adds an interesting twist to 'Them There Eyes,' inserting Ella Fitzgerald’s scat solo, again fitted with new lyrics. Roiger bypasses Holiday’s sturdiest signatures—'Strange Fruit,' 'God Bless the Child,' 'Good Morning, Heartache,' 'Lover Man'—filling the balance of the album with selections from across her sizeable songbook. Traveling from a wistfully tender “It’s Easy to Remember” to a laidback 'Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans,' she closes with a dusky reading of Holiday’s late-career masterpiece, 'Lady Sings the Blues.' ” - CHRISTOPHER LOUDON
— JAZZTIMES 2018
“DEAR ABBEY: The Music of Abbey Lincoln: Newcomers to vocalist Teri Roiger might, quite fairly, presume she is attempting to mimic Abbey Lincoln across this tribute album’s 13 tracks. But the vocal resemblance is not put-on: Roiger’s phrasing – which, in turn, demonstrates how big a debt Lincoln’s phrasing owed to Billie Holiday – and her engagingly raspy, crushed-velvet sound are genuinely similar...Lincoln was always the straightest of shooters: no teasing, no modesty, no evasiveness. Like Nina Simone, she tackled songs, particularly her own, with unflinching honesty and hard-won wisdom. Roiger evinces the same gut-level sincerity, though she tends to do so with a cunning coyness. It’s as if Lincoln is being filtered through Peggy Lee and, for the most part, it works refreshingly well. The dreaminess she lends to 'When I’m Called home,' for instance, is powerfully moving, as is the sagacious warmth of her 'You Gotta Pay the Band.' The gap between Roiger and Lincoln can seem tremendously narrow – Roiger shapes 'The World Is Falling Down' around a half-smile rather than a half-frown, and casts 'Throw It Away' a subtle shade darker than Lincoln did – yet the contrast between the two singers is, in its understated imaginativeness, in fact impressively deep. The album’s interpretive luster isn’t solely Roiger’s achievement, however. Pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist John Menegon and drummer Steve Williams prove equally astute co-conspirators, masterfully augmented by Greg Osby’s alto sax on five tracks, including a hauntingly beautiful 'First Song'” - Christopher Loudon
— JAZZTIMES
“Laurence Donohue-Greene, Managing Editor of the New York City Jazz Record, picked DEAR ABBEY as one of his favorite vocal release at JJA, and it is featured as one of the five best tribute releases of 2012 in NYC Jazz Record’s January 2013 issue.” - Laurence Donohue-Greene
— New York City Jazz Record
“With DEAR ABBEY, singer Teri Roiger does something remarkable. She interprets thirteen of vocalist Abbey Lincoln's compositions, maintaining the legendary singer's emotive articulation and dramatic delivery, yet marking each song with her own individuality. She thus pays the ultimate homage to an innovator who blazed her own unique artistic path. Roiger's warm contralto, like aged, fine whisky, is smooth but heady, as heard on her yearning interpretation of "Angel Face," a ballad colored with nocturnal shades. She delivers the mixture of melancholy and joy inherent in the classic "The World Is Falling Down" with a wistful wit as her bittersweet voice floats over the swells of pianist Frank Kimbrough's earthy tones. A versatile improviser par excellence, Kimbrough effectively supports and complements Roiger's very personal, interpretation of the music. Never a mere accompanist his contemplative, complex piano solo on "Bird Alone" reflects the lyrics' absorbing poetry. Alto saxophonist Greg Osby's clean, understated yet edgy solo closes the tune on a sublime note. Osby and Roiger engage in a sonic tango on the passionately dark "Throw It Away," a haunting and vivid feature for bassist John Menegon's lyrical and intriguing pizzicato. The bassist's relaxed and drifting string work is paired with drummer Steve Williams' reserved, percolating rumble on the iconic "You Gotta Pay The Band." The duo's undulating rhythms also form the framework over which Roiger's relaxed and rich vocals glide on the nostalgic and heartfelt "Not To Worry. Roiger's timber and phrasing are well-suited for the blues, as she demonstrates on the "Hey Lordy Mama (Blues For Mama)," her smoky growls simmering over guitarist Mark Dziuba's fervent tones. An imaginative musician, Roiger has assembled a band of superlative talent on Dear Abbey: the Music of Abbey Lincoln. The result is an exquisite tribute to a virtuoso of originality who is both intellectually and emotionally satisfying. ” - Hrayr Attarian
— AllAboutJazz.com
“"DEAR ABBEY: The Music Of Abbey Lincoln” (Inner Circle Music): Renowned Hudson Valley jazz singer Teri Roiger pays tribute to the legendary Abbey Lincoln with her latest release, “Dear Abbey: The Music Of Abbey Lincoln,” and it’s simply spectacular. In this album, Roiger does not copy or imitate Lincoln, but interprets and reinvents her songs with respect and love. Starting out with “Wholly Earth,” Roiger simply shines as she serpentines around a percolating rhythm section, with a pure natural delivery that is soft, yet sure and emotive. Next up, in “The Music Is The Magic,” she sings the all-too-true “Music is the magic through the raging storm” and “It a world that’s always within” with knowing conviction. The playing here is out of this world, featuring famed bassist John Menegon, pianist Frank Kimbrough, drummer Steve Williams, Greg Osby (alto sax) and Mark Dziuba (guitar) and Roiger’s voice, itself an instrument of monumental skill, with reserved, understated passion. The bluesy "Hey Lordy Mama" is a sure highlight, as are the dramatic “I’m In Love” (which sizzles), the soaring “Bird Alone”, the timely “The World Is Falling Down” (with a wicked bass solo by Menegon) and the timeless and true “You Gotta Pay the Band.” Well, no truer words have ever been said! ROIGER is a world-class singer. Fans of Lincoln will love this record, as will fans of Roiger, and fans of really, really good music.” - David Malachowski
— Kingston Daily Freeman
“To hear Teri Roiger is to experience that peculiarly beautiful combination of improvisation, tone, feeling, and phrasing that are distinct elements of jazz freedom. She is made for those who still understand the meaning of the term 'the real thing!' ” - STANLEY CROUCH
— live performance review @ 55 Bar in NYC