On Tuesday 13 October, we are proud to present one of the standout bookings of the year.
Shabaka is a musician who refuses to be confined by any single genre, expression or sound. As the bandleader of Sons of Kemet, he helped shake up London with politically charged fire, and with The Comet Is Coming he brought jazz to sweat-soaked dancefloors. At the height of his career as one of the most celebrated saxophonists of his generation, he made the unexpected move of putting down the saxophone entirely to begin a new chapter.
What we see at Nefertiti is an artist who has stripped back his own success in search of something deeper. His new voice is rooted in flutes, shakuhachi and ritual, a meditative, deeply personal sound world centred on breath, presence and transformation. It is both fragile and monumental, carrying a spiritual weight that places him in the lineage of artists like Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders and Sun Ra.
To experience an artist of Shabaka’s calibre in such an intimate setting is rare. He is not coming to rely on past achievements, but because the music feels urgent and necessary right now.
Don’t miss one of jazz’s most visionary voices as he visits Nefertiti.
