Shabaka: Of the Earth

"When Shabaka Hutchings indicated that he'd be stepping away from playing the saxophone onstage in January 2023, his reasons included the physical challenges of the instrument and an encroaching feeling that his performances were becoming commodified. You also have to wonder how much audience expectations and the symbolic weight of the instrument may have played into it."

"Shabaka has since put out an excellent album (Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace) and an EP (Possession) in which he played flute and assorted wind instruments from around the world in highly collaborative settings. He worked with artists from across the genre spectrum- billy woods, Brandee Younger, André 3000, Esperanza Spalting-and seemed poised to continue on the path of spiritually minded improvisation where jazz meets new age."

"Having landed on an au courant sound at the moment when its market was expanding, he decided to try something else: His new LP, Of the Earth, is a solo album in the literal sense, with Shabaka writing, producing, playing, and mixing everything on his own."

Shabaka Hutchings stepped away from playing saxophone in January 2023, citing physical challenges and concerns about commodified performances. After participating in prestigious collaborations featuring Pharoah Sanders and John Coltrane's work, he pursued new musical directions. He released an album and EP featuring flute and world wind instruments in collaborative settings with diverse artists including André 3000 and Esperanza Spalding. Rather than continuing this expanding genre, Hutchings pursued another path: creating Of the Earth, a completely solo album where he handles all writing, production, instrumentation, and mixing. This shift places composition and editing at the forefront, departing from the interactive meaning-making central to jazz tradition.

Read at Pitchfork