The Epic (3CD)

 
The Epic (3CD) cover
$52.00 Low Stock add to cart more by this artist

Kamasi Washington
The Epic (3CD)

[ Brainfeeder / 3 CD ]

Release Date: Friday 12 June 2015

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Kamasi Washington's The Epic is unlike anything jazz has seen, and not just because it emanates from the boundary-defying Brainfeeder, which isn't so much a label in the traditional sense as it is an unfurling experiment conducted by the underground producer Flying Lotus who has featured Washington on his albums Cosmogramma and You're Dead!.

The Epic is a 172-minute, three-volume set that includes a 32-piece orchestra, a 20-person choir, and 17 songs overlaid with a compositional score written by Washington. Pulsing underneath is an otherworldly ten-piece band, each member of which is individually regarded as among the best young musicians on the planet - including bassist Thundercat and his brother, drummer Ronald Bruner Jr., bassist (yes, there are two) Miles Mosley, drummer Tony Austin (of course there are two), keyboard player Brandon Coleman, pianist Cameron Graves, and trombonist Ryan Porter. Patrice Quinn's ethereal vocals round out the ensemble.

"Nothing compares to these guys," says Barbara Sealy, the former West Coast director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, who has championed Kamasi and his compatriots from the beginning. "I challenge any group to go out on stage with them and see if they can keep up with it... Kamasi is at the top of his game, and only getting better." "These young guys," the rapper Common says, "remind me of why I love music."

"He just plays the craziest shit, man. I mean, everything - the past, present, the future," Flying Lotus says, whose family lineage includes one of Washington's direct musical forebears, John Coltrane. "It's hard to find unique voices in this music. Especially in jazz, more so lately, everybody is trying to do the same shit. I don't want to hear 'My Favorite Things' anymore… What I am hearing is a leader among artists."

Tracks:

Volume 1 - The Plan
1 Change of the Guard
2 Askim
3 Isabelle
4 Final Thought
5 The Next Step
6 The Rhythm Changes

Volume 2 - The Glorious Tale
1 Miss Understanding
2 Leroy and Lanisha
3 Re Run
4 Seven Prayers
5 Henrietta Our Hero
6 The Magnificent 7

Volume 3 - The Historic Repitition
1 Re Run Home
2 Cherokee
3 Clair de Lune
4 Malcolm's Theme
5 The Message

Listen to Re Run Home via Youtube