Saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings has already visited Lithuania with his inventive groups "Sons of Kemet" and "The Comet Is Coming", which became the discovery of British jazz of this decade. And their leader S. Hutchings is called one of the inspirations of the renaissance of the London jazz scene, which has not been seen since the 1970s.
Interestingly, this musician of unbridled imagination studied classical clarinet at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. S. Hutchings admits that he does not care about jazz traditions, considering himself a musician in the broadest sense.
"We respect the history of music and we adore music, but we don't try to pigeonhole ourselves into genres," the saxophonist has said of his Sons of Kemet band, which performs his music. The composition of this group is very unusual: saxophone, tuba and two percussion kits. The music of "The Comet Is Coming" is also surprising - it is a real apocalypse soundtrack of jazz, funk, psychedelic rock and electronic sounds.
The phenomenon of Mr. Hutchings' eccentric creativity grew out of his Caribbean roots. Born in London, music grew up in Barbados, where he spent ten school years, played clarinet in the school band, experienced the magic of fiery Caribbean carnivals with calypso music. He transfers the spirit of that mass street fun and community to his performances.“I don't want to be like Sonny Rollins or John Coltrane. In music, I rely on the vocabulary of jazz, but I'm not a maestro in a costume, belting out beautiful sounds in front of a microphone. I spit fire," said the saxophonist.
Hutchings first came to attention as a member of the late saxophonist Pete Wareham's band Melt Yourself Down. His own first band was Sons of Kemet (Kemet is an ancient Egyptian name). The group's first albums Burn and Lest We Forget What We Came Here To Do, released by the United Kingdom label Naim Jazz in 2013 and 2015, received great reviews, and 2018's Your Queen Is a Reptile became the most mature."Shabaka and The Ancestors" can be mentioned among S. Hutchings' most prominent projects. The music of all his bands is influenced by the colorful club culture of London. While jazz is always looking to the past, Hutchings's music is open to the present and looks to the future.
