Aminata: Abbey Lincoln's Song of Faith

Abbey Lincoln (1930-2010), one of the greatest jazz vocalists of the twentieth century, was also an acclaimed composer, poet, playwright, actress, and activist and a towering figure within the African American intellectual tradition.Through constant reinvention, she resisted easy stereotyping and helped open a space for Black women artists to invoke their whole selves.Here, with meticulous research and insightful analysis, Ada C.M. Thomas contemplates Lincoln's music alongside her poetry, plays, and reflections, revealing a multifaceted artist whose philosophical inquiries resonate deeply with the Black experience. Thomas places Lincoln's albums in the context of both the female jazz and blues singers who influenced her and the male composers she collaborated with, including John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, and Max Roach.Highlighting Lincoln's central position within a vibrant global community of Black artists, activists, and writers, it also puts her work into conversation with that of