People In Me  by Abbey Lincoln

The very remarkable American jazz singer and composer, presented one of the best albums of her career in 1973, People In Me. The album was a comeback for Lincoln, as she hadn't released her own album since 1961 (!). During this period, Abbey Lincoln traveled to many parts of the world, mainly to Africa, where she redefined her identity.

People In Me gives Lincoln the opportunity to primarily present her own compositions, something that happens for the first time. The album consists of eight songs. Six are her own compositions, and two are covers. One cover is a composition by John Coltrane, Africa, with her own lyrics, and the other is a traditional Japanese song from around 1800, Kohjoh-No-Tsuki (!).

The reason she chose the latter is that the album's recording took place at Aoyama Victor Studio in Tokyo, and she had the assistance of Japanese jazz musicians. The same song was included by the German band Scorpions on their live-recorded double album Tokyo Tapes in 1978, in a rock version (!).