Fully agree, Phil. I'd venture that there's a subtle but unmistakable rhythmic reason that younger audiences are connecting with his music. Even in a standard like 'Cherokee,' I don't hear swing eighths underlying his playing – they seem more like Hip-hop eighths, if that makes any sense.
Glad to see this positivity. I liked how The Epic was like a jazz history tour, with each of the discs -- while all featuring long cuts with modern chops -- managing to sound slightly like a decade's style from the 50s to the 70s. I may have made that up, but it made the album seem more purposeful while also being accessible in the best way -- it made you shake your nyash just a little bit. The second disc really did have me thinking about the second Miles quintet and maybe that association is what gave me the theory, but it had that same knottiness and groove yet searching restlessness that was the best of Miles' bands. Time to go back to The Epic again and dig on it.
I saw Washington and company live at a free concert in Prospect Park in Brooklyn a few years ago and was blown away by how much the (huge) crowd resembled one for a jam band, overwhelmingly young people all partying hard and filling the air with weed smoke. It was a great time, and I think the spectacle of the huge band played a big part in attracting that kind of crowd. With a lot of jazz if you aren't in the know it can be hard to tell what you're listening for, but Washington's band always makes the climax legible even to a neophyte.
I remember when it came out that it rode the waves of Kendrick's Butterfly, which was a huge album, praised by David Bowie and others. That album was considered revolutionary and that Kamasi had.played a hand in that. When Epic arrived at our local record store, it kept selling out and had strong word of mouth. It had a buzz. I met him at a show and he was cool, could discuss video games and anime with other attendees, making him seem modern and accessible.
Thank you for articulating all of this, Phil. When I saw the title of the post I thought for sure you were going to be a negative Nancy about Kamasi's ascent. It turns out you're too observant and openminded to take that tack.
Great piece, Phil. I always thought “The Epic” sounded like a direct continuation of Max Roach’s “It’s Time”, a record I absolutely love and have loved for a long time, so I’ve never found any issue with Kamasi at all. Quite the opposite, I was happy a new kid was out there pulling off large projects with music that good.
Fully agree, Phil. I'd venture that there's a subtle but unmistakable rhythmic reason that younger audiences are connecting with his music. Even in a standard like 'Cherokee,' I don't hear swing eighths underlying his playing – they seem more like Hip-hop eighths, if that makes any sense.
That's a really good point!
Glad to see this positivity. I liked how The Epic was like a jazz history tour, with each of the discs -- while all featuring long cuts with modern chops -- managing to sound slightly like a decade's style from the 50s to the 70s. I may have made that up, but it made the album seem more purposeful while also being accessible in the best way -- it made you shake your nyash just a little bit. The second disc really did have me thinking about the second Miles quintet and maybe that association is what gave me the theory, but it had that same knottiness and groove yet searching restlessness that was the best of Miles' bands. Time to go back to The Epic again and dig on it.
I saw Washington and company live at a free concert in Prospect Park in Brooklyn a few years ago and was blown away by how much the (huge) crowd resembled one for a jam band, overwhelmingly young people all partying hard and filling the air with weed smoke. It was a great time, and I think the spectacle of the huge band played a big part in attracting that kind of crowd. With a lot of jazz if you aren't in the know it can be hard to tell what you're listening for, but Washington's band always makes the climax legible even to a neophyte.
I remember when it came out that it rode the waves of Kendrick's Butterfly, which was a huge album, praised by David Bowie and others. That album was considered revolutionary and that Kamasi had.played a hand in that. When Epic arrived at our local record store, it kept selling out and had strong word of mouth. It had a buzz. I met him at a show and he was cool, could discuss video games and anime with other attendees, making him seem modern and accessible.
Great piece, absolutely loved reading this.
“…like a solitary teenage boy uses a gym sock.” Hilarious!
Thank you for articulating all of this, Phil. When I saw the title of the post I thought for sure you were going to be a negative Nancy about Kamasi's ascent. It turns out you're too observant and openminded to take that tack.
Great revue, Kamasi’s been killing it from the gitgo.
Great piece, Phil. I always thought “The Epic” sounded like a direct continuation of Max Roach’s “It’s Time”, a record I absolutely love and have loved for a long time, so I’ve never found any issue with Kamasi at all. Quite the opposite, I was happy a new kid was out there pulling off large projects with music that good.