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Shabaka Hutchings: Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace
Since signing with with Impulse! in 2018, Shabaka Hutchings has become best known for his incendiary work on tenor saxophone with
Sons of Kemet
band / ensemble / orchestra
The Comet Is Coming
band / ensemble / orchestra
Tony Scott
clarinet1921 - 2007
Hutchings hinted at the new trajectory with the EP Afrikan Culture (Impulse!, 2022), on which he was mainly heard on flute, and then gave explicit notice on New Year's Day 2023, when he announced that he would be taking a break from playing the saxophone publicly beginning in 2024. Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is the first fruit of that decision. It is as different as could be from all Hutchings' releases prior to Afrikan Culture. It is also deeply beautiful. Check the YouTube below, where Hutchings does not so much dance about architecture as swim about music. "End Of Innocence" is the album's opening track, and it sets the tone for all that follows.
On the album, Hutchings plays clarinet, shakuhachi, European metal flute, bamboo flute, quena flute, svirel and, briefly, on "Breathing," saxophone. He is joined by some familiar colleagues: bassists
Tom Herbert
bass
Esperanza Spalding
bassb.1984
Jason Moran
pianob.1975
Nasheet Waits
drumsb.1971
Brandee Younger
harpb.1983
Charles Overton
harp
Nduduzo Makhathini
keyboardsb.1982
Laraaji
variousThe music itself is as full of life as any of Hutchings' previous work, despite its inward-looking focus. The recording process played a part in this. The tracks were recorded in real-time in the Rudy Van Gelder studio with no headphones, no separation in the room, and without any other technological intermediary. After amassing hours of material, Hutchings set to work assembling the individual tracks in a process not unlike that employed by producer Teo Macero on
Miles Davis
trumpet1926 - 1991
Track Listing
End Of Innocence; As The Planet And The Stars Collapse; Managing My Breath What Fear Had Become; The Wounded Need To Be Replenished; Body To Inhabit; I’ll Do Whatever You Want; Living; Breathing; Kiss Me Before I Forget; Song Of The Motherland.
Personnel
Shabaka Hutchings
woodwinds
Jason Moran
piano
Nasheet Waits
drums
Brandee Younger
harp
Nduduzo Makhathini
keyboards
Carlos Ni?o
percussionTom Herbert
bassMiguel Atwood-Ferguson
violin
Esperanza Spalding
bass
Charles Overton
harpAdditional Instrumentation
Shabaka Hutchings: clarinet (1 , 9), shakuhachi (2, 7), flute (3, 9-11), bamboo flute (4), quena flute (5), svirel (6, 8), saxophone (9); Jason Moran: piano (1, 10); Nasheet Waits: drums (1, 10); Carlos Nino: percussion (1, 5, 7, 10); Brandee Younger: harp (2, 6, 8); Charles Overton: harp (2-4, 6, 8, 11); Miguel Atwood-Ferguson: violin, viola,cello (2, 8); Moses Sumney: vocal (3); Saul Williams: vocal (4); Nduduzo Makhathini: piano (5); Surya Botofasini: synthesizer (5); Elucid: vocal (6); Esperanza Spalding: bass (6, 7); Laraaji: vocal (7); Andre 3000: drone flute (7); Floating Points: Rhodes Chroma (7); Tom Herbert: bass (7); Dave Okumu: guitar (7); Marcus Gilmore: drums (7); Eska: vocal (8); Rajna Swaminathan: mrudangam (9); Lianne La Havas: vocal (10); Anum Iyapo: vocal (11).
Album information
Title: Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Impulse! Records
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