Shabaka Hutchings (born 1984 in London, of Barbadian heritage) is a British multi-instrumentalist, composer and bandleader who shaped the sound of 21st-century UK jazz through Sons of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming and Shabaka and the Ancestors. Raised in Barbados from age six, he studied classical clarinet before returning to London and graduating from the Guildhall School of Music. In recent years he has stepped back from the saxophone to focus on flutes and other wind instruments, pursuing a more meditative, ritual-oriented direction in his solo work.
Shabaka released his second solo album, Of The Earth, on 6 March 2026 via his own newly formed Shabaka Records label, distributed by Warp.
Of The Earth is the first album on which Shabaka raps, inspired in part by André 3000, and also marks his return to the saxophone after years away from the instrument.
Shabaka returned to playing the saxophone at the memorial concert for South African jazz legend Louis Moholo-Moholo in 2025, ending his public hiatus from the instrument.
Shabaka released his debut solo album Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace on Impulse! in April 2024, built around flute and clarinet rather than saxophone.
On New Year's Day 2023, Shabaka announced via Instagram that he would take a hiatus from playing the saxophone from the end of that year, citing physical and emotional strain from touring.
