Linda Sharrock

While not as well known or extensively recorded as other vocal improvisers like Jeanne Lee, Irene Abei, or even Urzula Dudziak, Linda Sharrock's soaring, swelling sound is just as penetrating and striking. She was featured with her then husband Sonny on the classic Atlantic album Black Woman (sadly out of print), in which her screams, yelps, cries, and calls were punctuated by Sharrock's splintering riffs, dissonant lines, and slamming, percussive phrases. It was a jarring experience even for listeners who'd heard late period Coltrane and were then still dealing with Albert Ay...