Higgs Boson
Higgs Boson is the recording identity of British composer, keyboardist and producer Kevin J. Whitaker.
Higgs creates melodic instrumental music centred on the piano and shaped by jazz, progressive rock, classical and ambient influences. The work is united by a fascination with science, imagination, memory and the stories that remain with us.
The first album, Leaving, was recorded at Sentinel Studio in Cornwall in 1991. Further releases include Higgs Boson (1996), The Ordinary Club and Quantum Dance.
The name Higgs Boson was adopted long before the particle entered popular culture. It reflected Kevin’s interest in cosmology and theoretical physics, particularly the point at which scientific understanding gives way to imagination.
The 1996 self-titled album brought together a group of exceptional musicians and was the first project controlled by Higgs from composition through to final production. Its original airbrush cover painting was created by Cornish artist Mervyn Beaver. The album received strong reviews in publications including Jazz Journal, Keyboard Review, Guitar Techniques, Rhythm and The Mix, and attracted praise from musicians and producers including Alphonse Mouzon, Tony Levin and Gus Dudgeon.
The music has also been featured on BBC Radio 2 and broadcast more widely in the UK and overseas. The Ordinary Club, released in 2013, later received praise from producer Stuart Epps and is now being revisited for a new remix featuring additional guitar work by Pete Claridge.
Writing under his own name, Kevin J. Whitaker, he is also the author of works exploring memoir, family history and historical investigation. His books, photography and archival work share many of the same concerns as the music: memory, identity, landscape and the ways in which personal stories survive.
Higgs Boson remains an active creative project, bringing together music, writing, photography and historical research developed over more than three decades.
Books are published under Kevin J. Whitaker, while musical works continue under the registered trademark Higgs Boson™
Selected reviews and press coverage can be found on the Reviews page.
Did you know?
In 2002, following the naming of the Higgs boson particle, the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh asked Higgs to supply CDs and posters to be presented to Professor Peter Higgs and Professor Stephen Hawking. The accompanying letter joked that, although the Higgs boson particle had no spin or charge, “Higgs Boson has the attribute of a sense of humour.”
A Note to Stephen Hawking
Following the request from the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Edinburgh, I sent copies of the Higgs Boson album to both Professor Peter Higgs and Professor Stephen Hawking.
At the time there was considerable public discussion about the existence of the Higgs boson particle, and I couldn’t resist enclosing a brief handwritten note with Professor Hawking’s copy:
“I hear reports of my non-existence are being somewhat exaggerated.”
Sadly, no reply ever arrived—but I still like to think it might at least have raised a smile.
