Hannibal Lokumbe - (Black Lives in the Diaspora: Past / Present / Future) by Lauren Coyle Rosen & Hannibal Lokumbe

About the Book

"For the musician Hannibal Lokumbe, sound is not solely tonal or aural. It also has feeling, textures, scents, colors, contours, and other spatial, material, and sensorial dimensions. These multi-sensorial spiritual soundscapes are sonic spaces that allow for a reckoning with previous traumas or suffering - such as the Birmingham Church Bombing, the Vietnam War, or the Middle Passage into slavery - which may lead to healing or illumination in the present or future. His musical compositions - whether jazz, orchestral, oratorios, string quartets, or other genres - are centered on addressing the African American experience through spiritual soundscapes that chronicle as well as heal and liberate. His work pays special tribute to the experiences of Africans and Native Americans. One of his primary spirit guides is his maternal great-grandmother, Cora, a Cherokee shaman who successfully fled the Trail of Tears. She, along with Hannibal's mother who is now in spirit, plays a key role in guiding and inspiring his major works and life decisions. The ancestors and other trusted spirits inform him at every turn as he proceeds, through dreams, visions, and other modalities of transmission and affective relation. Hannibal Lokumbe by Lauren Coyle Rosen is an experimental ethnographic profile of the lifelong journey of musical creativity, liberation work, and spiritual practices of Hannibal Lokumbe, a pathbreaking orchestral composer, librettist, poet, and jazz musician. Building upon and combining recent anthropological and musical work on soundscapes, affective archives, spiritual co-presences, and liberation art, through the life of Lokumbe Coyle Rosen demonstrates the centrality of a concept called spiritual soundscapes, which emerged throughout her extensive conversations with him over recent years. She explains how Lokumbe perceives music to be a spiritual healing force and a living consciousness that can liberate"--

Book Synopsis

For Hannibal Lokumbe, music is a profound source of spiritual liberation. A pathbreaking orchestral composer and visionary jazz musician, he composes resonant works that give voice to the freedom struggle of the African diaspora, the broader African American experience, Indigenous histories, and humanity. Many of his works address historical traumas, such as the Middle Passage, the Vietnam War, global environmental disharmony, and targeted racial violence, and focus on major figures, including Medgar Evers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Dr. Kim Phúc Phan Thị, and Anne Frank. This innovative book demonstrates that Lokumbe's musical compositions, created in collaboration with his ancestors, are multisensorial spiritual soundscapes that aspire to chronicle, heal, and liberate.

This is a captivating, vital portrait and spiritual biography of Lokumbe. The cultural anthropologist Lauren Coyle Rosen draws on several years of close conversations with Lokumbe, as well as his journals, to provide a powerful collaborative account of his remarkable life and work. The authors explore Lokumbe's creative journeys and the spiritual dimensions of his art. They trace Lokumbe's entire career, from his early years in the Texas and New York City jazz scenes to his widely acclaimed orchestral compositions. The book also addresses Lokumbe's work in prisons and schools with the Music Liberation Orchestra, founded in the 1970s. Illuminating his philosophies of music, spirituality, justice, and freedom, this book immerses readers in Lokumbe's many revelatory worlds.

Review Quotes

Holy.--Sonia Sanchez, poet and author

This book is a treasure for anyone interested in the transformative power of music, the history of the African diaspora, and the ongoing struggle for justice and liberation. It is a powerful reminder that music can be more than just entertainment--it can be a pathway to understanding, healing, and profound social change.-- "Rock and Roll Highway"

Hannibal Lokumbe: Spiritual Soundscapes of Music, Life, and Liberation is the beautifully written, inspiring, compelling, and transformative account of the living journey of a spiritually evolved human being. He (like I) has faced demons and realizes that in this existence there is no place for the burdens of fear or anger; only forgiveness and hope can sustain humanity. His iconic music testifies to that sentiment. Hannibal, thank you for it.--Dr. Kim Phúc Phan Thị, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and "the girl in the picture"

An instant classic. This book is a must-read for all ages and those who hunger for truth, understanding, and justice. It is a balm for the sin-sick soul and a testimony layered with musical, lyrical poeticism, and wisdom of the sages. The maladies of this American nation and conversely this world are provided a diagnosis by Hannibal on how to spark a communal resurrection for future generations to cure.--Steve Prince, Muscarelle Museum of Art, William & Mary University

Hannibal Lokumbe is quite an amazing entity! May this book go forth to inspire as does his music, and may he and his work live forever.--Audrey N. Glickman, shofar player and author of Pockets: The Problem with Society Is in Women's Clothing

It's just plain outright powerful.--Carole Haas Gravagno, philanthropist and advocate for peace and global well-being

About the Author

Lauren Coyle Rosen is a cultural anthropologist, artist, and author of Fires of Gold, Law in Light, The Spirit of Ani (coauthored with Ani DiFranco), and seven volumes of poetry and art.

Hannibal Lokumbe is an award-winning composer, jazz musician, poet, author, and educator whose career spans over six decades. In addition to more than 150 musical compositions written and commissioned for orchestra and smaller ensembles, he has published three volumes of poetry: The Ripest of My Fruits, Love Poems to God, and Trilogy: Freedom Dance Cycle.