Shabaka

Shabaka at The Castle & Falcon, Birmingham

Shabaka Hutchings is widely regarded as one of the UK's most influential musicians and a defining figure in contemporary British culture. A bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, his work has reshaped global perceptions of jazz and experimental music through a practice that moves fluidly between jazz, electronic, spiritual, and diasporic traditions.

In his solo work, Shabaka's music reflects a deepening focus on breath, embodiment, and personal authorship. His 2026 album Of The Earth, written, performed, produced, and mixed entirely by Shabaka, marks a pivotal moment in his artistic evolution. Where earlier projects explored collective improvisation and a withdrawal from familiar forms, this work represents integration - uniting rhythmic propulsion, textural depth, and melodic openness within a singular creative vision.

Drawing together the dance-driven energy associated with Sons of Kemet and The Comet Is Coming and the quieter, breath-led language of his recent solo explorations in Perceive It's Beauty Acknowledge It's Grace, his latest album, Of The Earth establishes Shabaka as a fully realised instrumentalist-producer. Created largely while travelling, the music is built from portable instruments and production tools, with looping rhythmic structures underpinning expansive choral melodies performed primarily on alto flute, alongside saxophone.