Description
Shabaka – Perceive Its Beauty Acknowledge Its Grace – Vinyl Record
Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is a profound and spiritually oriented album by Shabaka, released in 2024 as a significant turning point in the career of the artist formerly known primarily as Shabaka Hutchings. After years of international acclaim as a saxophonist and bandleader with projects such as Sons of Kemet, The Comet Is Coming, and Shabaka and the Ancestors, Shabaka made the surprising decision to step away from the saxophone as his primary instrument and focus on flutes, shakuhachi, and other wind instruments. The result is one of the most contemplative, atmospheric, and deeply personal recordings of his career.
The album represents a dramatic shift from the explosive energy and political urgency that characterized much of Shabaka’s earlier work. While his previous projects often emphasized rhythmic intensity, collective improvisation, and powerful social themes, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace turns inward, exploring stillness, meditation, healing, gratitude, and spiritual awareness. It is less concerned with confrontation than with contemplation, inviting listeners into a space of reflection and attentive listening.
The title itself functions almost as a philosophical instruction. Rather than rushing through experience, Shabaka encourages listeners to pause, observe, and appreciate the beauty present in the world and within themselves. The album’s themes revolve around perception, mindfulness, interconnectedness, and the transformative power of awareness. These ideas are reflected not only in the lyrics and concepts but also in the music’s pacing and structure.
Musically, the album occupies a fascinating space between jazz, ambient music, spiritual jazz, contemporary classical composition, global musical traditions, and experimental sound design. The flute becomes the central voice throughout the recording, replacing the fiery saxophone solos that had previously defined much of Shabaka’s public identity. This change dramatically alters the emotional character of the music, resulting in a softer, more spacious, and more meditative sonic environment.
One of the album’s greatest strengths is its use of texture and atmosphere. Rather than focusing on virtuosity or dramatic musical gestures, Shabaka builds immersive soundscapes that unfold gradually. Gentle flutes, subtle percussion, strings, harps, electronic textures, and carefully layered arrangements create a sense of openness and serenity. Silence and space are treated as important musical elements, allowing each sound to resonate fully.
The album also features an impressive range of collaborators drawn from diverse musical backgrounds. These guest artists contribute vocals, instrumental performances, and compositional ideas that enrich the album’s palette while remaining aligned with its contemplative spirit. The collaborations feel organic and purposeful, reinforcing the themes of connection and collective creativity that run throughout the project.
A recurring influence on the album is spiritual jazz, particularly the tradition associated with artists such as Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Yusef Lateef. Like those musicians, Shabaka approaches music as a vehicle for exploration, healing, and transcendence. However, he does so through a distinctly contemporary lens, incorporating modern production techniques and a broad range of global influences into the music.
Emotionally, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is characterized by gentleness and generosity. The album does not seek to overwhelm the listener; instead, it encourages patience and openness. Moments of beauty emerge gradually, rewarding attentive listening and creating an experience that feels restorative rather than merely entertaining. In an era often defined by noise and distraction, this commitment to quiet reflection gives the album particular resonance.
The production is exceptionally detailed yet remarkably restrained. Every element is carefully placed within the sonic landscape, creating a sense of balance and clarity. The recording’s spaciousness allows listeners to appreciate subtle interactions between instruments and to become immersed in the album’s meditative atmosphere.
Upon its release, the album received widespread critical acclaim for its artistic courage, emotional depth, and innovative direction. Critics praised Shabaka’s willingness to reinvent himself and highlighted the album’s ability to create a profound emotional impact through understatement rather than intensity. Many viewed it as one of the most distinctive and spiritually resonant jazz-adjacent releases of the year.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace is its sense of purpose. Rather than simply presenting a collection of compositions, the album functions as an invitation to engage with the world differently—to slow down, listen more carefully, and cultivate a deeper appreciation for beauty, connection, and presence. In this way, the music becomes both artistic expression and philosophical practice.
With its luminous soundscapes, spiritual depth, and breathtaking musicianship, Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace stands as one of the most significant works of Shabaka’s career. The album demonstrates that artistic evolution often requires courage and reinvention, revealing new dimensions of an already remarkable musician. Meditative, elegant, and profoundly moving, it offers a powerful reminder of music’s capacity to heal, inspire, and transform perception itself.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
End Of Innocence
As The Planets And The Stars Collapse
Insecurities
Managing My Breath, What Fear Had Become
The Wounded Need To Be Replenished
Body To Inhabit
I’ll Do Whatever You Want
Living
Breathing
Kiss Me Before I Forget
Song Of The Motherland
