Artist Spotlights: Shabaka and the Ancestors Are Sent Here By History
Shabaka and the Ancestors embrace their multiculturality to create conscious spiritual jazz.
Artist Spotlights introduces you to artists that may not be on your radar yet, but should be. With recently cancelled tours and income loss for small artists, there’s no time like the present to find new talent to support.
Written by C.S. Harper
Photo courtesy of Leeroy Jason
Recommended If You Like: Kamasi Washington, Sons of Kemet, Pharoah Sanders
British-Barbadian saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings is a force to be reckoned with. As bandleader of Sons of Kemet and member of The Comet Is Coming, he has received several Mercury Prize nominations and wide acclaim from major publications. The Ancestors, Hutchings’ lower-profile group of South African musicians, is also gaining traction due to its brand of enigmatic spiritual jazz with socio-political themes. From a stellar Pitchfork review to a New York Times feature, the band has been making waves with its inventive sound and visionary bandleader.
Since its inception in 2016, Shabaka and the Ancestors has been making music that revels in its members’ heritage. Recorded in one day, their debut album Wisdom of Elders weaves South African Nguni music and calypso structures into its experimental jazz compositions. The album is a “psalm in nine parts,” with each song amounting to an epic homage to South African music. In an interview with Nataal, Hutchings explained the ethos of the album:
“I see energy as being a form of wisdom to be passed down through the ages.... This is the core vitality of the individual that leads them to utilise the musical specifics of their chosen genre in a way that mirrors their inner source of power. This is an intuited wisdom that's handed to us from the legacies of our elders.”
By embracing the wisdom of their musical predecessors, Shabaka and the Ancestors reimagine their influences and make them their own.
Photo courtesy of Pierrick Guidou
In their 2020 album We Are Sent Here By History, Shabaka and the Ancestors shift the focus of this wisdom from the past to the future. The record constructs a narrative about the fall of humankind that delves into themes like colonialism, toxic masculinity, and racism. According to Hutchings, the album is:
“A questioning of the steps to be taken in preparation for our transition individually and societally if the end is to be seen as anything but a tragic defeat. For those lives lost and cultures dismantled by centuries of western expansionism, capitalist thought and white supremacist structural hegemony the end days have long been heralded as present with this world experienced as an embodiment of a living purgatory.”
At the centerpiece of the project is Zulu and Xhosa spoken word poetry from South African performance artist Siyabonga Mthembu. Despite their apocalyptic perspective, Mthembu’s lyrics are rooted in present social issues. In the standout track “We Will Work (On Redefining Manhood),” he criticizes toxic masculinity: “Indoda ayikhali (A man doesn’t cry) / Indoda ayizile (A man doesn’t grieve) \ Indoda ayizali (A man doesn’t give birth).”
By creating masterful jazz epics, Shabaka and the Ancestors connect South African history with present day. In doing so, they not only help preserve their heritage, but they also provide listeners with a unique perspective on the current state of the world.