You Gotta Pay the Band

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{rating|4|5}}

| rev2 = MusicHound Jazz

| rev2Score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite book |last1=Holtje |first1=Steve |last2=Lee |first2=Nancy Ann |title=MusicHound: The Essential Album Guide |publisher=Schirmer |year=1998 |pages=709 }}

| rev3 = The Penguin Guide to Jazz

| rev3Score = {{rating|3.5|4}}{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=Richard |last2=Morton |first2=Brian |title=The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2004 |pages=997–998 }}

| rev4 = The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide

| rev4Score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite book |editor-last=Swenson |editor-first=John |title=The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide |publisher=Random House |year=1999 |pages=426 }}

| rev5 = The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz

| rev5Score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite book |editor-last=Larkin |editor-first=Colin |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz |publisher=Virgin Books |year=2004 |pages=538 }}

}}

You Gotta Pay the Band was nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Performance at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards.{{cite web |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/abbey-lincoln/9284 |title=All Grammy Awards and Nominations for Abbey Lincoln |website=Grammy.com |access-date=March 20, 2024}}

In a review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow called the album "excellent", and wrote: "Getz's cool tenor fits in very well with Lincoln's voice, making one wish that they had met up previously... it is not surprising that Lincoln sounds typically inspired... Recommended."

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings stated: "With the sole exception of 'Bird Alone', which is a dud, the material is excellent, and it's the sort of band singers will die for." They also praised drummer Johnson, describing him as "an elegant and subtle performer who knows where to place an accent and how to weight it."

Writer Loren Schoenberg commented: "Lincoln has never needed anything but the words of the song she is singing to get her point across... [she] is a superb actress who portrays the complete range of emotions and associations suggested by the song she is singing."{{cite book |last=Schoenberg |first=Loren |title=The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Jazz |publisher=Perigree Books |year=2002 |pages=232 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fytrrs9yLd8C&dq=%22abbey+lincoln%22+%22You+Gotta+Pay+the+Band%22&pg=PA232 |via=Google Books}}

1. "Bird Alone" (Abbey Lincoln) – 8:34
2. "I'm in Love" (Joan Griffin) – 6:13
3. "You Gotta Pay the Band" (Abbey Lincoln) – 4:50
4. "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (Jay Gorney, Yip Harburg) – 6:51
5. "You Made Me Funny" (Abbey Lincoln) – 3:02
6. "And How I Hoped for Your Love" (R.B. Lynch, Abbey Lincoln) – 3:39
7. "When I'm Called Home" (Abbey Lincoln) – 5:27
8. "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" (Johnny Mandel, Alan and Marilyn Bergman) – 6:29
9. "Up Jumped Spring" (Freddie Hubbard, Abbey Lincoln) – 4:41
10. "A Time for Love" (Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis Webster) – 8:39

• Abbey Lincoln – vocals
• Stan Getz – tenor saxophone
• Hank Jones – piano
• Charlie Haden – bass
• Mark Johnson – drums
• Maxine Roach – viola (tracks 1 and 10)

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{{Abbey Lincoln}}

Category:1991 albums

Category:Abbey Lincoln albums

Category:Verve Records albums