Abbey Lincoln died. :-(

What a great story teller she was with that voice.  I enjoyed her work, she leaves a great legacy.

Other great jazz singers who've gone now that I wish were still around (at their peaks) are Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughn, Mel Torme,  Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday of course.

In Australia jazz singers were/are often dissed by the other musicians. I think that came from the time when some jazz artists played music but couldn't read it or write their own charts.  Fair enough, if you get up on stage as a jazz artist and don't know what key you're singing in and can't count in your own tune: you ought to be dissed.  In fact, you should be thrown out of the club and told never to return.  Aargh!  I've seen/heard enough of that to understand the negativity towards singers, but then there are singers who are real artists.

There's one here in Australia called Michelle Nicolle, I think she loves Abbey Lincoln's work too.

www.michellenicolle.com 

Michelle Nicolle is a great musician, such an amazing artist she probably won't ever make a lot of money. To her detriment she is a purist, rather than a showbiz type.  If you love jazz check her out.  She is probably one of the greatest vocal improvisers performing live today.  I'd put her on a level with Dianne Reeves.  Very different style though.  She did a gig in Fremantle once at the Jazz festival in West Australia where Kurt Elling called her up on stage, she had no idea that was going to happen. She was in jeans and t-shirt, no makeup, no shoes on just lying on the grass drinking wine and enjoying the show.  He asked for her to come up she did, they did a Blues and Elling declared she won.  And she had!  The thousand plus crowd went crazy.

Bye bye Abbey, thanks for the journey.