Transcendence: Shabaka Hutchings talks to Ashish Ghadiali

Abstract

An interview with musician Shabaka Hutchings, leader of the bands Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming and Shabaka and the Ancestors. The conversation starts with a discussion of multiplicity and unity, and the imperial habit of reducing multiplicity down to a single dominant unity, whether through imposing one religion, one view of empire, or one recognised form of art music. It looks at the different ways of viewing culture in the West and in African countries. And it discusses the relationship between jazz and classical music; improvisation; musical dialogue; South African music; transcendence through music; and musical healing.