Shabaka. Photo by Atiba Jefferson.
Shabaka Hutchings — the former Sons of Kemet and The Comet Is Coming bandleader — has shared plans for his debut solo LP as Shabaka, titled Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace and due out April 12 via Impulse! The project’s impressive cast of contributors includes André 3000, Esperanza Spalding, Moses Sumney, Brandee Younger, Floating Points, Laraaji, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Saul Williams, and Elucid. And its lead single, “End Of Innocence,” features Jason Moran on keys, Nasheet Waits on drums, and Carlos Niño on alternate percussion.
The new song, arriving today (February 28) alongside a Phoebe Boswell visual treatment, is a short but quietly expansive sound sculpture. With Moran’s somber piano chords as a base — Waits and Niño’s contributions are more textural finishes than backing rhythms — Shabaka’s clarinet moves languidly through space, molding effortlessly to contours only he can see.
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In a press release, Shabaka says “End Of Innocence” (and Perceive its Beauty… as a whole) “really signifies a departure for me, a departure from the bands that I’ve become known for playing in, and the arrival of the flutes in general.
“I bring a lot of flutes to the album and explore different kind of sonic terrains, although for this track in particular, it’s not actually the flute, it’s the clarinet,” he continues. “It’s my first instrument, the instrument that I consider to be my primary instrument, so it’s really going back to what I feel most comfortable with.”
Boswell’s video is set underwater, where Shabaka is found playing an invisible instrument and performing slow-motion acrobatics. Watch the clip or stream “End Of Innocence” on its own below. And scroll further to see the cover art and tracklist for Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace, followed by Shabaka’s upcoming tour dates.
Perceive its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace album art and tracklist
1. End Of Innocence
2. As The Planets And the Stars Collapse
3. Insecurities
4. Managing My Breath, What Fear Had Become
5. The Wounded Need To Be Replenished
6. Body To Inhabit
7. I’ll Do Whatever You Want
8. Living
9. Breathing
10. Kiss Me Before I Forget
11. Song Of The Motherland
Shabaka spring 2024 tour dates
March 23 - Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival
April 23 - Brooklyn, NY - National Sawdust
May 3 - Amsterdam, NL - Bimhaus
May 4 - Brussels, BE - Trocadero
May 6 - Paris, FR - New Morning
May 8 - Berlin, DE - Emmauskirche
May 9 - London, UK - Barbican
June 1 - Barcelona, ES - Primavera Sound
June 12 - Santa Cruz, CA - Kuumbwa Jazz Center
June 13 - San Francisco, CA - SFJAZZ
