The album “Wisdom of Elders” will definitely be one of the best Jazz records of the year, and it’s coming out on September 16th via Brownswood Recordings
As part of the Caribbean diaspora, Shabaka sees his role as that of pushing the boundaries of what musical elements are considered to be Caribbean, constantly evaluating the nature of his relationship with musical material and tradition.
He won several prizes (BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist in 2010, MOBO Award for Jazz Act of the Year in 2013, Jazz FM Instrumentalist of the Year 2015…) and collaborated with the best artists : Courtney Pine’s Jazz Warriors, Polar Bear and Soweto Kinch, Evan Parker, King Sunny Ade and Orlando Julius, Julian Joseph, the BBC Big Band, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and many more.
“Wisdom of the Elders” was recorded in Johannesburg in 2015 on one of many trips Shabaka Hutchings took there to immerse himself in the country’s rich musical heritage. Within the great musicians that took part in this project : Mthunzi Mvubu – alto sax, Mandla Mlangeni (Amandla Freedom Ensemble)- trumpet, Siyabonga Mthembu – vocals, Nduduzo Makhathini – rhodes, piano, Ariel Zomonsky – bass, Gontse Makhene – percussion, Tumi Mogorosi – drums.
