Classic composer and jazz trumpeter Hannibal Lokumbe (neé Marvin Peterson) has been celebrating and commemorating the African-American experience through music and words for more than four decades.
Lokumbe’s work has been commissioned and performed by symphonies and orchestras across the country, including The Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra (“Can you hear God Crying?” conducted by Dirk Brossé, 2012), The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (“Dear Mrs. Parks,” conducted by Thomas Wilkins, 2005), The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (“God, Mississippi and a Man Called Evers” conducted by Dr. Leslie Dunner, 2002), and the Philadelphia Orchestra (“One Land, One River, One People,” under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, 2014 and 2015).
Lokumbe’s oratorio African Portraits debuted at Carnegie Hall with conductor Paul Lustig Dunkel and the American Composers Orchestra in 1990. Since its debut, African Portraits has been performed more than 200 times by orchestras across America, and was recorded with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Barenboim.
Other orchestral and choral and recordings include, “In The Spirit Of Being” (Vocal Essence), “A Shepherd Among Us” (Arts Sanctuary),” “One Heart Beating” (Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Andre Raphel Smith), “Fannie Lou Hamer” (Kronos Quartet),” and many others.
Originally from Smithville Texas, Lokumbe lived and played in New York’s jazz scene for over thirty years, where he performed with many of his music idols including: Gil Evans, Roy Haynes, Cecil Taylor, Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and Elvin Jones.
When he’s not traveling and performing, Lokumbe splits his time between his home in Bastrop, Texas and his studio in New Orleans, La.
