Classic Recordings,
Kamasi Washington, 'The Epic'
I feel somewhat like I should put a disclaimer at the beginning of this ‘Classic Recordings’ article – yes, this is an album from 2015 – however, it is one of the most recognised and acclaimed jazz albums of the last ten years, and makes for an essential listen whether or not it’s had the required lifespan to be considered ‘classic’. Kamasi Washington is an LA-based saxophonist, who mentored under Kenny Burrell, Gerald Wilson and Billy Higgins while studying in UCLA’s Ethnomusicology department. It was there he met pianist Cameron Graves, drummer Ronald Bruner and his brother, bassist Stephen Bruner (better known by his stage name Thundercat), and started playing with them as the ‘Young Jazz Giants’, releasing a self-titled album in 2004. Kamasi would self-release a handful of albums under his own name featuring many of the same players, Live at 5th Street Dick’s (2005, also credited to ‘The Next Step’), The Proclamation (2007) and Light of the World (2008), and in the seven-year break between Light of the World and The Epic Kamasi spent his time playing for Throttle Elevator Music (the band of guitarist Greg Howe), as well as a multitude of other sideman gigs – perhaps the most high-profile being hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar’s funk and soul-influenced To Pimp a Butterfly, releasing earlier in the same year.
Kamasi Washington’s not-quite-major label debut came to us from Brainfeeder Records, the eclectic label home to - and spearheaded by - electronic producer Stephen Ellison, aka Flying Lotus. Another labelmate of Washington’s is the aforementioned bass virtuoso and all-round funk weirdo Thundercat, who also provides electric bass duties throughout The Epic (and also shared the bandstand with Kamasi during the recording of To Pimp a Butterfly) – in a way Kamasi is one of the more straight-ahead artists on the label. Also appearing on The Epic is his former Young Jazz Giant pianist Cameron Graves – Kamasi would later return the favour with the odd sax solo on Graves’ thrash-jazz hybrid album Seven in 2021. While for many listeners The Epic served as their introduction to Kamasi’s music – particularly among those who weren’t deep jazz listeners before – the man had been hard at work for many years prior.
Releasing a triple-album for your label debut is quite the bold play. Befitting of its title, The Epic is a gargantuan work; many of the songs themselves sit just either side of the ten-minute mark, and amongst them there’s a much-welcomed variety (you’d hope, given that there’s almost three hours of music here). Kamasi’s ability to craft an undeniably catchy hook is obvious from the horn-laden melody of opening track ‘Change of the Guard’, as well as his generous use of lush string arrangements – used to similar effect on ‘Miss Understanding’ that kicks off the second disc and the gorgeous ‘Re Run’. The bulk of the material here is spiritual jazz in the vein of late-period John Coltrane or Pharoah Sanders, but there’s also a healthy appreciation for soul-infused vocal music and shades of fusion à la Miles Davis or Weather Report. Particular highlights of Kamasi’s eclectic composition style include the single ‘Re Run Home’, transitioning from a funky fusion bass into a calypso-like rhythm, or the heavy electric basslines coupled with lush instrumentation on ‘The Magnificent 7’.
Although most of The Epic is wholly original material – the entire first two discs, at least – the final third of the album also includes Terence Blanchard and Jamie Davis’ ‘Malcolm’s Theme’ and Ray Noble’s standard ‘Cherokee’ – two vocal-led songs – as well as a soulful version of Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lune’ complete with Hammond organ. Even amongst Kamasi’s large ensemble of players on The Epic his accompanists get their own chances to shine – it’s Cameron Graves’ fiery piano solo that’s one of the first to feature on the record, and soon after Igmar Thomas comes in with some killer licks of his own, while ‘Miss Understanding’ features a frantic bowed solo from double bassist Miles Mosley.
Listening to The Epic in its entirety is quite a commitment – I’m fairly certain I listened to it in three separate sittings upon its first release – but each disc would almost make for a solid album in its own right. The kinds of albums we usually cover for the ‘Classic Recordings’ column tend to be on the older side, perhaps ones that represent a sea change in jazz or ushered new ideas into the genre – I think it’s a little soon to judge The Epic on whether that is the case – but it feels as though a three-hour, triple-album spiritual jazz odyssey finding the success that it has within and beyond usual jazz audiences has to account for something. At the very least it’s a damn good listen.
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
