Kamasi Washington: The Epic
Tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington has performed with the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Lauryn Hill and so many more renowned acts (his first national tour was with Snoop Dogg); recently, he was a key collaborator on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly. Washington’s debut album The Epic lives up to its name, featuring a 32-piece orchestra, 20-person choir and ten-piece band. It may very well take months, if not years, to internalize fully the album’s wild, wonderful ambition regarding the future of jazz—which is why we’re still listening to it on repeat far after its spring release. Washington and his crew will be one of nine acts performing this evening for the BRIC JazzFest Marathon. It’s an ideal way to close the inaugural Brooklyn jazz festival (though one more night of programming will follow, tomorrow, 16 October 2015, with nine more acts).
