CHANGING FLOW

Award-winning British musician SHABAKA HUTCHINGS is among the world’s most successful saxophonists. But at the beginning of this year he put down the instrument – for good

Shabaka Hutchings is one of the most prolific and globally revered jazz musicians of the past two decades. Since 2010, the London-born saxophonist, composer and bandleader has played in a number of the contemporary jazz scene’s most successful ensembles –including The Comet Is Coming and Sons of Kemet – won a MOBO Award and multiple Mercury Prize nominations, and performed sell-out world tours.

But then, in July last year, he released a statement on Instagram captioned “The saxophone must end”. In the post, Hutchings explained that, as of the end of 2023, he would permanently stop playing the instrument and follow a different path. “In many ways,” he says. “I feel like the saxophone as an instrument has been played out.”

Instead, the 39-year-old is making the brave move to pick up a new instrument, starting out again as a flautist. On his debut solo album, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace, released under the name Shabaka, Hutchings collaborates with music icons including rapper André 3000 – a fellow flautist – singer Lianne La Havas and bassist/vocalist Esperanza Spalding to make music unlike anything he’s created before. “The safe option would be to do fewer gigs on the sax, not take the extreme option of ending my association with it,” he admits.

“Unfortunately, I’m not that guy.”

Here, Hutchings tells us about his decision to part ways with the instrument that made him famous…

The Red Bulletin: To mark the end of your saxophone career, you posted a video that included a quote by the late US author Octavia E Butler: “To survive, know the past. Let it touch you. Then let the past go.” Why that quote?

Shabaka Hutchings: It got me thinking about change as something that’s necessary and crucial to development. Things just aren’t going to stay the same; we all have to just relax about that. My musical interest is changing, and if I follow that, it will be more satisfying for me than to cling onto a past idea of who I once was.

Do you still play the saxophone for your own enjoyment?

No, I don’t even have a saxophone. I haven’t actually missed it at all. There’s a physicality in playing the saxophone, but there are also so many different instruments out there to experience. For me, playing a Mayan flute is a different world to playing a [side-blown] wooden flute, or a clay flute… I haven’t lost anything by putting the saxophone down.

Do you find that challenging yourself leads to greater creative inspiration?

I now feel most comfortable with the flute, because it’s what I’m interested in. That’s what motivates me to get up and put in the work every day. But I’m not as good a flute player. Every day, I’ve got to spend hours and hours practising just to learn the patterns and scales and get familiarity with the instrument. That’s an exciting place to be.

Are you worried about stepping away from success and starting again?

I believe that if you’re an artist and you follow the music, it’ll work itself out. That’s the only thing you can do. The future isn’t certain for anyone; all we have is our ability to create art that represents ourselves. For me, following the flute is following my heart. If you’re not making what’s in your heart, because you’re trying to ensure a comfortable future, that’s a very dodgy route to go down as an artist.

Perceive Its Beauty… features many top musicians. Was it nerve-racking asking them to collaborate on it when you were picking up a new instrument?

Absolutely. I wasn’t anywhere near as good of a flute player as they were on their instruments. It took a lot of trust.

How did you build that trust?

I’d build it in the studio. I would tell them that everything had to be incredibly quiet and we weren’t going to use headphones or have any separations. Everyone had to play to the level of a very quiet wooden flute and be able to hear it. That added a vibe of tension to the music we created.

How do you feel about touring without your bandmates for the first time?

There’s something special about developing over a long time with a group of musicians. We watched each other grow musically and nothing that can beat that. With this tour, I have the chance to play with different musicians and explore new creative relationships. I’m excited to discover new ways of playing with people.

Are the days of gigs with stomping audiences and sweaty dancefloors behind you?

The music I made with my previous bands really got people dancing, and that was great. I’m not necessarily drifting from that completely. But for now I’m excited to live at a different tempo.

Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is out now on Impulse! Records; shabakahutchings.com