Higgs Boson is the recording identity of British composer, keyboardist and producer Kevin J. Whitaker.
Higgs Boson 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), Quantum Dance and The Ordinary Club.
The name Higgs Boson was adopted long before the particle entered popular culture, reflecting an interest in cosmology and theoretical physics — particularly the point at which scientific understanding gives way to imagination.
The 1996 self-titled album Higgs Boson brought together a group of exceptional musicians and was the first project controlled by Higgs Boson 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.
Higgs Boson 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.
Alongside the music, Kevin J. Whitaker 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 original music, writing, photography and historical research developed over more than three decades.
Books are published under the name Kevin J. Whitaker, while musical works continue under the registered trademark Higgs Boson™.
Selected reviews, interviews and press coverage relating to Higgs Boson can be found on the Press page.
Higgs Boson, Peter Higgs & Stephen Hawking
In 2002, an unexpected request from the University of Edinburgh led to copies of the Higgs Boson album being sent to Professor Peter Higgs and Professor Stephen Hawking.
Support the Higgs Boson Archive
This website is an independent project, created and maintained to preserve more than three decades of music, writing, photography and archive material.
Keeping the archive online involves ongoing hosting, domain and storage costs. Everything here is freely available to explore, and there is absolutely no obligation to contribute. However, if you have enjoyed the music, found something interesting in the archive, or would simply like to help towards the cost of keeping it online, any voluntary contribution would be very gratefully received.
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Copyright Notice
Unless otherwise stated, all original text, research, digital restorations, album artwork, modern photographs and website content are © Kevin J. Whitaker. Historic family photographs are reproduced from the Johnstone Archive. Archival records and other third-party material remain subject to the copyright and reproduction terms of their respective owners and repositories. Please contact the author if you wish to reproduce material from the Johnstone Archive.