Artist Profile, Shabaka Hutchings... The Next Chapter

As the former leader of three contrastingly brilliant groups and with two solo records already under his belt, Shabaka Hutchings is well on his way to becoming the UK’s leading exponent of contemporary jazz. A shining example of individualism, trusting your instincts and the process of renewal, his latest album Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace comes after last year’s announcement that he would be stepping away from the saxophone and hanging up his horn in favour of dedicating his craft to flutes – specifically, the Japanese shakuhachi.

Having initially harvested the raw cane for his instrument over a year ago, Hutchings has since immersed himself in the ancient art of flute-making. Now he adds the finishing touches as he comes to terms with this esoteric tradition and what pursuing the road less travelled could mean for him as an artist going forward. For Shabaka, the goal has always been to overcome the corporeal limitations of musical performance and to achieve something outside-himself or, as he puts it, “to ascend past the body’s restraints and the trappings of the mind using sound.”

This creative left turn, which arrives in the wake of a decade that saw the musician win a MOBO award (as well being twice nominated for the Mercury Prize under various guises), should come as no surprise to anybody who has followed Hutching’s career with intent. For many, he embodies the definition-evading spirit of ‘the London jazz scene’ – a lauded congregation that has seldom left the lips of jazz fans the world over, ever since DJ and tastemaker Gilles Peterson launched the We Out Here compilation on his Brownswood Recordings label in 2018 – shapeshifting with every new release that his myriad projects have had to offer. For starters, there was Sons of Kemet, a rip-roaring quartet of fiery sax, fearsome tuba and two (count ‘em) drummers, beating together in parallel combat like a chain reactor of nuclear energy, fit to burst at any second. Next up, Shabaka & The Ancestors, a South African-based ensemble where musical traditions are handed down from generation to generation, making for some of Hutchings' most compelling and spiritually nurturing recordings to date. Topping things off, there's the psychedelic space-rave trio The Comet Is Coming, whose cosmic bacchanalias and distinct presence on the festival circuit in recent years have become the stuff of legend. The video below, in which Shabaka can be seen prepping to perform a set with each act over the course of a single day is undeniably a career highlight: 

For now, all these bands will remain on hiatus, seemingly disbanded as Hutchings undertakes his timely sabbatical. Many will question why the prolific musician is stepping away from the instrument he has come to be associated with when he has undeniably reached the peak of his powers. But it is precisely for that reason that Shabaka has been left without an alternative. Even if it hadn't been for a chance encounter with a flute peddler in Swaziland some years ago, he would still be facing this current revelation in a similar fashion. Where do you go when you've reached the top? You may branch out and attempt to diversify... or, conversely, you could start all over again. Traditional flute-making is a pedagogy that Shabaka knows will engage him in ways he has yet to previously encounter, task him with answering questions he has never been asked before. It requires discipline, sacrifice and an unabashed sense of commitment. It makes sense, then, that this decision has been a short while coming. Shabaka has always played the long game, and will continue to strive towards the artistic integrity he believes he is capable of achieving. 

Discover Shabaka's former projects below... 

Read our review of Black to the Future...

Read our review of Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam...

Read our review of Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery...

Read our review of We Are Sent Here By History...