This week saw the passing of one of the world's greatest jazz vocalists, Abbey Lincoln. For those of you who have not heard her, do yourself a favour and find yourself a copy of We Insist! Freedom Now Suite. It's as powerful and harrowing as her later works, such as Painted Lady, are sublime.This quote from Ms. Lincoln encapsulates her time on earth:
"How can you have a career and never say anything? To experience it all and not say a word, you're supposed to stand up and speak your mind in the music. Some people like to hear some reality. I'm not trying to save or fix the world. I'm just singing about my experiences. My songs are observations."And the world is a richer place because of those observations, left for us to hear.
More from NPR here.
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