One of the most exciting young players in the UK jazz scene, Shabaka Hutchings is a reflection of multicultural London. Born in the English capital, the bulk of Hutchings’ childhood was spent in Barbados — after returning to the UK in 2000 to study classical clarinet, he sought to connect his music with his Caribbean roots. As the bandleader of Sons of Kemet, Hutchings draws inspiration from London’s mainstream and avant-garde scenes, the philosophy of afrofuturism and both the traditional and contemporary music of the African-Caribbean diaspora. The group’s 2015 sophomore album, _Lest We Forget What We Came Here to Do_, was met with widespread acclaim, yet Hutchings hasn’t limited himself to a single project: He’s a member of electro space-jazz trio The Comet Is Coming, is part of the post-everything outfit Melt Yourself Down and plays with the hip-hop-inspired jazz trio Thousand Kings.
