Those who don’t recognize the name Shabaka Hutchings may still know his work. The British jazz giant previously performed with Sons of Kemet, Shabaka & The Ancestors, and The Comet is Coming, and now Hutchings is striking out on his own under the mononym Shabaka, with a forthcoming solo album entitled Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace, via IMPULSE!.
Last Thursday (March 21), Shabaka shared the second album single, “I’ll Do Whatever You Want,” a nearly eight-minute winding instrumental track featuring some other familiar faces. Officially credited as features on the single are Floating Points and Laraaji; André 3000 — who made his jazz debut with New Blue Sun last fall — contributes his now-signature flute stylings, while local legend Esperanza Spalding holds it down on the bass.
Listeners that are new to the genre may want to approach with an open mind, but even then, it’s easy to get sucked into “I’ll Do Whatever You Want.” The first 45 seconds or so builds the central thematic tension of the track, with various elements joining in behind a bedroom-pop dream of a synth line. By the one minute mark, the main star of the song has arrived: Shabaka on the shakuhachi flute, a bamboo woodwind that dates back more than 400 years.
Shabaka describes the track as “about surrender and the intimate space we go to within the grasp of possession.” We’ll leave the remaining seven or so minutes to be experienced, rather than explained— but be prepared for a stirring journey ultimately culminating in atmospheric wordless vocals. There’s a story in the song, with layer upon layer to unpack with successive listening sessions.
Check it out below, and keep an ear out for Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace ahead of its release on April 12.