English musician Paul Wheatcroft, previously signed to Big Life/Polygram and published by Universal Music Publishing, toured the UK & Europe with TV appearances and some chart success. Also runs the film company and label TalkingHead TV, which won Best International Documentary in 2018 for 'They Shall Not Grow Old.' ​ Hakim was born in Watts, Los Angeles and has lived there all his life. His age is subject to debate - he can pass for a guy in his 40s, but he claims to have run with the Black Panthers as a teenager (if this indeed true!) ​ A lot about Hakim's past is lost in a pre-internet age, so we must rely to a certain extent on legend. As the New York Times puts it, 'There is an old story about the lack of broader recognition around Los Angeles jazz musicians stretching back to the 1960s and before.' ​Hakim has clearly worked with some of the major talents of the age, but you could argue, perhaps he never quite got the recognition he deserves. He and Paul now hope to change that.