SHABAKA has spent much of the past decade pushing the boundaries of contemporary jazz with different groups. He reached into the past with Shabaka and the Ancestors, plumbed the depths of the Caribbean with the Sons of Kemet, and forged out into the cosmos with The Comet is Coming – both of the latter, SummerStage alumni. But, in recent years the artist and bandleader has retreated from the saxophone and into a more meditative space, exploring experimental and ambient sounds for his 2023 solo debut Afrikan Culture. His bold new direction is informed by the exploration of instruments like the Japanese shakuhachi, Mayan Teotihuacan drone flutes, Brazilian pifanos, Slavic svirels, South American quenas, and other Native American flutes. For his latest LP Of The Earth, Shabaka pivots once again, writing, performing, producing, and mixing the album entirely on his own, doing much of it on the road with portable instruments and production tools. The result is a project he is bringing to SummerStage that integrates the expansive diversity of his past work and his return to the saxophone more completely than ever before, including the hip-hop and R&B influences that have largely been absent from his previous jazz compositions. He’s joined by Kokoroko, the ​​London-based septet led by Sheila Maurice-Grey and Onome Edgeworth that strives to connect young people in the African diaspora through a fusion of funk and highlife; and Omar MBE, UK Soul legend who has collaborated & Performed with Common, Erykah Badu, Leon ware, Stevie wonder etc received a lifetime achievement award from The Queen of England. and best known for his debut single “There’s Nothing Like This.” This show is presented in association with Giant Step, who have championed artists like Massive Attack, Daft Punk, Amy Winehouse, and Jamiroquai and they have presented legendary performances with SummerStage through the years from icons like Erykah Badu, Femi Kuti, Janelle Monae, Little Dragon, Gilles Peterson and many more.