After putting down the saxophone, the instrument he has become synonymous with, Shabaka returns with his first full length album under his own name. Expanding off the meditative 2022 EP Afrikan Culture, his new album Perceive its beauty, Acknowledge its Grace is a deeply moving suite of primarily instrumental music. The listening experience is reflective and contemplative, with passages flowering from one musical concept to the next, encouraging deep attention that rewards the listener with throughlines and motifs throughout the record. Shabaka is found playing the flute on this album, and has enlisted key artists such as Andre 3000, Lianne La Havas, Moses Sumney, Floating Points, and more to help build this all-encompassing aural landscape.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: I'm not typically a massive Jazz fan, I say this with some trepidation because the more I say it, the more I hear that I enjoy. While Hutchings has in the past, superbly done exactly the sort of Jazz I don't enjoy, 'Perceive It's Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace' is a beautiful collection of new-age leaning instrumentals and flute-heavy spiritual jazz. With a stellar lineup of guests too (Laraaji, Floating Points, and fellow flautist Andre 3000), you really need to give this masterwork time to develop in the ears.TRACK LISTING
End Of Innocence
As The Planets And The Stars Collapse
Insecurities
Managing My Breath, What Fear Had Become
The Wounded Need To Be Replenished
Body To Inhabit
I’ll Do Whatever You Want
Living
Breathing
Kiss Me Before I Forget
Song Of The Motherland