No sax please: Shabaka Hutchings, 2024
Photo by ATIBAPHOTO
IT’S certainly not the most glamorous location to be taking a dip. On a scruffy industrial estate on the edge of Croydon, among the builder’s merchants and the auto repair centres, there’s a tiny swimming pool –designed to give newborns their first taste of the water – into which Shabaka Hutchings is about to immerse himself for the first video from his upcoming solo album, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace. The UK jazz figurehead is cheerily unfazed by the bizarre scene as he steps out of an Uber, edging between clapped-out motors to be greeted by a cameraman in Speedos. Hutchings doesn’t even know exactly what he’s going to be doing in the video, happy to put his trust in director Phoebe Boswell.
“The concept is a developing story,” he grins. “But it starts with understanding that Phoebe’s vision needs to be applied to the music. And you take it from there, with trust.” Which sounds a bit like making a jazz record, where you don’t usually have afixed destination in mind. “Exactly! But you know it’s gonna be good, so just enjoy the ride…”