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The Comet Is Coming
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
The Comet Is Coming was a London band that brought together jazz, electronics, funk and psychedelic rock. The three members use pseudonyms: the saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings is King Shabaka, the keyboard player Dan Leavers is Danalogue and the drummer Max Hallett is Betamax. The name comes from a piece by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, which evokes science fiction and space. Hallett and Leavers already played together as the duo Soccer96, until Hutchings turned up on stage with his saxophone at a gig. Shortly afterwards they recorded hours of music in three days, without any material written in advance.
Music and breakthrough
Their debut EP Prophecy appeared in November 2015 on The Leaf Label, the album Channel the Spirits in April 2016. That album was nominated for the 2016 Mercury Prize. In 2018 the band signed with Impulse!. Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (2019) received glowing reviews and mixed ambient, spoken word and influences from grime.
Influence
The band's imagery revolves around space, science fiction and B-movies. Critics called them heirs of Sun Ra, the pioneer of cosmic jazz, and saw the influence of Alice Coltrane. Hutchings explained that the crystal on the cover of Prophecy ties in with Sun Ra's idea of creating your own myths. In this way The Comet Is Coming became one of the best-known names in the new London jazz, in which improvisation and danceable electronics come together.
Listening
Summon the Fire · The Comet Is Coming, 2019
Discography
Studio albums
- 2016Channel the Spirits
- 2019Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery
- 2022Hyper‐Dimensional Expansion Beam
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- After Hours: Session 4NL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- New London jazz Genre
The saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings played in Sons of Kemet, with tuba and two drummers, and in The Comet Is Coming.