Jazz music can be many things—dance music, street-fighting music or freedom music. Thus far Shabaka Hutchings (or simply Shabaka as he is now known in solo endeavors) has covered much of that ground. From his agitated, ferocious work as leader of Sons of Kemet to his more poetic work with Shabaka and the Ancestors via his genre blending work with The Comet Is Coming, he has embodied the emboldened, resurgent global jazz scene.
His new solo project on Impulse! entitled Afrikan Culture sees him embarking on a journey into intense spirituality as demonstrated by lead single “Black meditation.” As Shabaka himself puts it in an official statement, it features “various types of Shakuhachi flutes and a new technique of creating…in layering many flutes together to create a forest of sound where melodies and rhythms float in space and emerge in glimpses.”
The feeling of serenity and peace “Black meditation” exudes is all-consuming and a powerful statement of intent. The full project will be released this Friday, May 20th and includes seven more slices of contemplation and tranquility. Afrikan Culture features not just wind instruments but also the kora, mbira (thumb piano) and music boxes—a meditative space to soothe the world’s weary minds, bodies and souls.
LISTEN:
