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Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings has established himself as one of the leading lights of the contemporary British jazz scene with his bands Sons of Kemet, Melt Yourself Down, The Comet Is Coming and Shabaka and the Ancestors. Born in London in 1984, he grew up in Barbados, studying clarinet and then saxophone. Back in the UK, he won BBC Radio 3's New Talent Competition in 2010, and began touring the London jazz scene with Courtney Pine's Jazz Warriors and Heliocentrics, before forming his first ensemble, Sons of Kemet, in 2011, which won a MOBO Award with the album Burn (2012). Between collaborations with the Sun Ra Arkestra and Indian percussionist Sarathy Korwar, and his participation in the Melt Yourself Down collective (2012-2016), the saxophonist federates other musicians around his various projects, such as the nu-jazz trio The Comet Is Coming with Danalogue and Betamax (2013-2023), then Shabaka and the Ancestors, bringing together South African musicians. In 2020, he founded the Native Rebel Recordings label, releasing albums by new talents such as Chelsea Carmichael, Confucius MC & Kwake Bass and Kofi Flexxx. He collaborates with rapper Kojey Radical ("No Gangster " in 2019) and accompanies Zara McFarlane, Yussef Dayes and Amaro Freitas, among others. Following the release of his solo project Afrikan Culture in 2022 came the ambitious album Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace (2024), featuring contributions from Floating Points and Laraaji, Moses Sumney, Esperanza Spalding, Saul Williams, Lianne La Havas, Jason Moran, Brandee Younger and André 3000, among others. Released at No.1 in the UK jazz charts, the album reached No.19 in the Billboard Jazz chart (USA) and No.11 in the French jazz chart. 2024 also saw the release of the Possession EP, featuring contributions from Billy Woods, Elucid, André 3000 and Esperanza Spalding. His third personal album, Of the Earth, was released in March 2026 on his new label, Shabaka Records.
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