Aminata (Hardcover)

Ada C.M. Thomas

ISBN 10: 1978843356 / ISBN 13: 9781978843356

Published by Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick NJ, 2026

About this Item

Hardcover. Abbey Lincoln (19302010), 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, Thelonious 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 contemporaries and close friends like Maya Angelou, Miriam Makeba, and Toni Morrison. Above all, it traces Lincoln's extraordinary spiritual and intellectual journey, from her early life in Michigan to her rebirth in the 1970s as Aminata Moseka, meaning "faithful goddess of love," and her ultimate resurgence in the 1990s as a critically acclaimed jazz artist and composer. With reverence and rigor, Thomas invites readers to rediscover Abbey Lincoln and embrace the transformative power of her words. A vivid portrait of Abbey Lincoln (1930-2010) as a jazz legend and a towering figure within the African American intellectual tradition. Drawing from Lincoln's extensive literary output, including songs, poems, plays, and reflections, the author reveals a multifaceted artist whose philosophical inquiries resonate deeply with the Black experience. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781978843356

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Aminata (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick NJ
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1978843356
• ISBN 13: 9781978843356
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

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, Thelonious 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 contemporaries and close friends like Maya Angelou, Miriam Makeba, and Toni Morrison. Above all, it traces Lincoln’s extraordinary spiritual and intellectual journey, from her early life in Michigan to her rebirth in the 1970s as Aminata Moseka, meaning “faithful goddess of love,” and her ultimate resurgence in the 1990s as a critically acclaimed jazz artist and composer. With reverence and rigor, Thomas invites readers to rediscover Abbey Lincoln and embrace the transformative power of her words.

About the Author

ADA C. M. THOMAS is an independent scholar. She has been an assistant professor of English at Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, and a public scholar through the New Jersey Council for the Humanities’ Public Scholars Project.