Shabaka
Flute takes centre stage in jazz maestro Shabaka Hutchings’ reflective compositions, bringing his musical influences and life lessons together.
Multi-instrumentalist Shabaka Hutchings took up the clarinet from age nine, playing in calypso bands while studying classical repertoire, and often practising over hip hop beats and music native to Barbados, where he spent much of his childhood.
Since then he has collaborated on a range of projects, recording and touring with Mulatu Astatke and the Heliocentrics, Soweto Kinch, Floating Points and Courtney Pine amongst many other bands, as well as being a part of the London Improvisers Orchestra. He’s also composed pieces for the BBC Concert Orchestra, London Sinfonietta and Ligeti Quartet.
Over the course of the past decade, most of his touring and recorded work has been with three bands: Sons of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming, and Shabaka and the Ancestors, which have seen him explore Afro-Caribbean fusions, London dance music club culture and South African jazz.
Having put the saxophone down to devote his energies toward the flute, his first solo album Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace proves his incredible talent across more than just saxophone.
Presented in collaboration with AEG Presents and Eat Your Own Ears
Need to know
Reviews
‘Shabaka hasn’t dialled down his intensity – instead, he’s rechannelled it into something more profound’
BBC Music Magazine
‘The jazz maestro’s solo debut is a balm for the chaos of modern life… a beautiful, thoughtful album’
The Times
‘One of our finest musicians might just have achieved a higher state of artistic consciousness’
MOJO – Album of the Month
For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.