Mercury prize 2018
March 2024
‘I don’t want to be a legacy performer’: why Britain’s hottest jazz star is giving up his sax for the flute
Shabaka Hutchings is at the height of his powers as a saxophonist – but has given it up to play a Japanese flute that takes years to master. In London and Brazil, the multiple Mercury nominee explains why he has to resist the easy path, even if it puts his livelihood at risk