KAMASI WASHINGTON — The Epic (review)

KAMASI WASHINGTON — The Epic album cover

Album · 2015 · Post Bop

4.5/5 · 2025-06-01
FunkFreak75

Jazz, but what an eclectic, all-encompassing, spiritually uplifting, orchestral form of jazz! And two full, FULL CDs of music. This is not just an album of modern Jazz-Rock Fusion, it is An Experience!

Volume 1 - "The Plan"

1-1. "Change Of The Guard" (12:16) the melodies and chord progressions are awesome; the sound is a little murky with too many disparate layers: it almost sounds as if three or four different dimensions or timelines are being played at once, layered one over the others. The tracks are all so differently treated: the thick strings & synths, the drums, the sax and horn section, the bass, the piano, and the choir all feel as if they occupy their own, separate universes! At the same time, the music and musicianship are absolutely lovely! Just the weirdest sonicsphere I've ever encountered. It reminds me a bit of the "holographic sound" that was featured through my first Carver amps and pre-amps back in the 1980s. (22.75/25) 1-2. "Askim" (12:35) drums, piano, percussion, and bass open this one before synths, trombones and sax join in to present the melodies. Thundercat takes the first solo on his signature six-string Ibanez piccolo bass. The strings/synth washes and choir chords start to join in during the fourth and fifth minutes. Around 4:40 T'cat stops soloing and the choir and strings disappear leaving the core jazz combo to support Kamasi on a sax solo. Despite the fact that K's sax is mixed rather far into the back of the sonic field, it is a nice solo. At 6:47 the choir and low-key strings begin to join in and make their ascent to crescendo behind K's intensifying solo, reaching full orgiastic peak at the eight-minute mark. What a peak! And then the appropriate release follows, which becomes fecund territory for Leon Mobley and the rhythmatists to show off a little. Beautiful. K rejoins at 9:20, leading a new slow-build barrage of trombones, trumpets. At 10:43 the main melody suddenly shifts into a Morse code-like rhythmic pumping of piano and horns while drummer Tony Austin goes off and the strings/synth-supported choir returns, this time given more clarity to their lyrics. Great song--especially the performance of Kamasi on his sax! (22.75/25)

1-3. "Isabelle" (12:13) a slower, more deliberate pace from organ and piano-led combo. The horn section enters breathing out gentle, sustained chords that slowly pick up in intensity. Kamasi's sax begins to step forward of the rest of the horns as Brandon Coleman's organ and Cameron Graves' piano begin to embellish quite a bit. There are two drummers on this song: Tony Austin in the right channel and Thundercat's brother, Ronald Bruner, in the left. In the fifth minute the music thins out leaving just bass, drums, and the keys. Brandon takes a solo with his synth-organ before Kamasi steps for a brief, low-key word. It's really trombonist Ryan Porter that gets the first true spotlight solo in the seventh minute--then Cameron in the eighth with his piano. The horns pick up with their long, slow, gentle note play in the tenth minute and the drummers respond by picking up their intensity for a bit. I love how constant Miles Mosley's double bass has been throughout. A real pleasure to listen to: so much one can pay attention to. (22.5/25)

1-4. "Final Thought" (6:32) old sixties-like organ play opens this one before piano steps in with a chord pattern that invites drums, percussion, bass, and horns into play. The horns are the leaders of melody creation though the rhythm section is right there with support with every note. Organ takes the first solo as the horns drop away. This allows the drums, bass and percussion far more exposure--which is nice. there's still a lot going on with just the keys and rhythm section. Kamasi steps up at the end of the third minute to offer his preacher-like spirited commentary. He's quite theatric. Again, it seems that his talent as exhibited here and elsewhere shows why he is the leader and namesake of this band: when he plays, he definitely grabs your attention--almost undividedly. A brilliant display of composition rendered even better by the talent of the performers. (9/10)

1-5. "The Next Step" (14:49) horns open this with long, perfectly-coordinated harmonies dictating a lovely melody line as piano, drums (two again), and basses (two) step in line and richly support. The strings-enhanced choir also joins in with lovely bank of "aaah"s--organ, too. When choir desists, strings remain and strengthen their presence. Near the end of the third minute Kamasi steps forward to solo, behind which Thundercat and Brandon Coleman support playfully. Then Cameron Graves piano and MIles Mobley's double bass become K's greatest supporter--then strings, choir, and synths as K soars in the fifth minute, reaching a sustained peak in the sixth and then repeating such hubristic heights in the seventh. Such a master of manipulating us through his music! Kamasi achieves through his music the licentious effects we normally attribute to Post Rock artists, only Kamasi's music has heart and soul while the music of most Post Rock artists often feels rather sterile, cerebral, and contrived. Thankfully, he usually allows a lot recovery time on the other side of his rapturous climaxes--here a nice long five minutes of cuddle time. (27/30)

1-6. "The Rhythm Changes" (7:44) sounding from bottom to top a lot like STEVIE WONDER's "He's Misstra Know It All," organ, rhythm section, and lead singer Patrice Quinn open this one. 90 seconds in, the delightful chorus is the first time that the song distinguishes itself as something wholly original. The ensuing instrumental section offers three minutes of rotating brief solos: seemingly from everybody! Then Patrice and the horn section, strings, and choir all join back in to carry the song to its conclusion (with the usual slow build of intensity). Nice. (13.33333/15)

Volume 2 - "The Glorious Tale"

2-1. "Miss Understanding" (8:46) I just love how Kamasi has directed a band/orchestra to incorporate the big dynamics of late Post Bop and early Jazz-Rock Fusion with vocals and synths that conjure up Marvin Gaye's seminal What's Going On album. Once the wonderfully-explosive intro is laid down after 90 seconds or more, the jazz combo band suddenly rockets out of the gates with one heck of a race around the the Grand Prix horse track that is the hood in Oakland/Harlem/Woodward Ave./South on Lakeshore Drive. Besides Kamasi's exquisite work, the song is highlighted by that tight rhythm section (props to Brandon and Cameron) and the bowed double bass by Miles Mobley. (18.75/20)

2-2. "Leroy And Lanisha" (9:24) back to the "He's Misstra Know It All" theme from Volume One's "The Rhythm Changes" this time with piano, bass, and drums holding down Steveland's melodic rhythm track while Kamasi and trombonist Ryan Porter blow us away up top. Special props to Tony Austin for his exquisite drumming. Cameron Graves has a nice pseudo-DON PULLEN solo in the sixth and seventh minute but it's really, for me, Ryan Porter who is the shining star of this one with Kamasi performing the beautiful role of second fiddle. (18/20)

2-3. "Re Run" (8:20) beautiful orchestra (and choir) opening leading into a kind of Beatnick Flintstones motif--one that would satisfy a lot of African and 1950s and 60s jazz aficionados. The syncopated horn accents and unusually-tom-tom-dominant drum syncopation are the most prominent things about this song. Over the course of the first six minutes, Kamasi's tenor sax serves as the principal soloist and melody driver while synths, full choir, piano, and double bass provide most of the textural support. (17.875/20)

2-4. "Seven Prayers" (7:36) swirling piano play with two bass players, a second drummer, and, of course, Brandon Coleman providing the enriching electric keys, all infused with loosely-coordinated chords from multiple horned banks. It's the piano and basses that continue flying around their fretboards while the drums and horns provide very strong, fairly-slowly-progressing harmonized melodies to keep the music moving forward--albeit at a funereal pace. It feels so weird having the basses, drums, and piano just flying around--each/all in their own directions--beneath the dirge-like multi-horn melodies. Interesting--and impressive--but not really engaging. Like an attendee of a funeral procession, I feel respectfully distant, even disconnected. (13.25/15)

2-5. "Henrietta Our Hero" (7:14) a song that definitely evokes familiarity to the wonderful stage musical of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Promises, Promises--and even Alfie. Vocals by the full choir with Patrice Quinn in the lead are strong and very audience-engaging--as is the multi-faceted music beneath them--which is deceptive for its slow moving pace in its core but super busy in its multi-level instrumental performances going on around the basic rhythm track. Again we find drummer Ronald Bruner really going hog-wild beneath all of the smoothness up top, while Mike Mosely tries to temper Ronald's fury with something in between from his bass. I like this song though it never feels like a musical's "power ballad" more like one of those songs given to the secondary characters to enrich the story from the beneath or beside the threads of the principal characters (and their themes). Still, a great feeling to experience--especially with my particular reverent affinity to the Bacharach-David catalogue. (13.375/15)

2-6. "The Magnificent 7" (12:46) more great familiar melody-making over frenetic drumming and glue-providing bass performances (two drummers and two bass players). The wordless choir vocals also help keep the whole glued together while Kamasi feeds off of the pace and energy of his rhythmatists with his dynamic and melodic tenor sax. Though a song that feels like a jam, there are enough great melodies and just enough structure to keep me from labeling this as "free jazz" or "third stream" stuff. I like the more-sparsely-populated seventh minute in which the horns and choir drop out, providing a clean canvas for Cameron Graves to paint some beautiful piano movement--and man! does he race around those ivories: tinkling them with a speed the most agile of mice would be proud of! The rest of the instrumental palette rejoin while Cameron continues flying up and down the keyboard. In the tenth minute he finally leaps off of his keys, leaving another quiet gap which is soon filled by the intrepid of Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner's bass runs. In the twelfth minute Kamasi reasserts leadership: while the drummers (and Cameron) go wild beneath he and his steady horn and choir steady the flow with their melodic punctuation marks. Et puis, finis! It's over! Wow! What a ride! (22.75/25)

Volume 3 - "The Historic Repetition"

3-1. "Re Run Home" (14:06) a great funky groove opens this within which percussion and piano play creative yet texturized lines. At 1:10 a saxophone leads the entry of a horn section, which introduces themselves until 1:46 when they transition into a little chorus melody before returning to their main motif and then clearing out early in the third minute for Kamasi to take the first solo. I love his continuous play while playing off of and subtly responding to the motif changes beneath him. At 4:20 K steps back and lets his lead trombonist (Ryan Porter) and trumpeter (Igmar Thomas) enact a duel over the next two rounds of the main motifs. They really get into it, trying to top one another for over three minutes! Then it's the rhythm section's turn: the two drummers, two bassists, two keyboardists, and percussionist Leon Mobley showing off in turns with Thundercat first, Leon second, Brandon Coleman's wonderful clavinet next and then the drummers while Cameron Graves accents everybody with his gorgeous piano chords. At the end of the 11th minute everybody comes back together behind the horn section though spirits are high and everybody seems to be enjoying expressing themselves extra hard. It's amazing that there are no guitars present here cuz the "rhythm guitar" play of the keyboards is so like guitars. I love the two bassists, two drummers, and two keyboardists each distinguishing themselves behind a simple Kamasi solo toward the end: each playing very carefully off of one another. Wonderful song! Great groove and GREAT whole band interplay! (29.5/30)

3-2. "Cherokee" (8:14) interesting with organ and electric piano and bluesy horns lead the "simple" lineup (all single instrumentalists) beneath singer Patrice Quinn's sultry (Ella Fitzgerald-like) singing. The Stevie Wonder-like beat and construct sounds so modern but the sound palette sounds so old ("classic"--like from the 1940s or 50s). Highly engaging and enjoyable--and memorable. Definitely destined to be a fan favorite in concert. (14.375/15)

3-3. "Clair De Lune" (11:08) as advertized, this is the Debussy classic--and starts out just so with 55 seconds of Cameron Grave's piano performance exacting the original. But, then double bass, drums, organ and New Orleans lazy horns join in to carry a drawling version of the main melody forward--with plenty of dirge-like N.O. support. At 2:30 there is the perspicacious bridge before returning to the slow funereal march. In the early fifth minute Ryan Porter's trombone takes a solo. Choral voices and strings enter behind him, enriching things, elevating the listener into heavenly realms, before Kamasi and Cameron Graves take turns in the lead position. Mike Mosely, cellos, and Brandon Coleman get turns as well while Cameron's piano continues to soar and embellish somewhere in the middle. In the middle of the ninth minute there is another one of those stopping points in which the rhythm section slows but horns and Cameron's soaring and diving piano runs continue, but then everybody comes back together for another modest take on the opening dirge (sans choir and orchestra) before yielding to a bookend of Cameron's faithful performance of the original piano version of Debussy's song. Kind of cool though I'm not sure I really ever saw this as a New Orleans funeral march like Kamasi and (17.75/20)

3-4. "Malcolm's Theme" (8:41) Dwight Trible and Patrice Quinn take the lead vocal of this classic Terence Blanchard/Ossie Davis tune on as a duet above Kamasi's jazz big band. Kamasi's sax solo in the third minute is quite passionate--compelling his band to rise to a fervor that I'm not even sure they thought they were capable of! And then Dwight and Patrice return at the end of the fifth minute to lead us back into the reverent lyrics. The dual drummers really account for themselves on this one while the spirited jam that starts with the sixth minute unleashes emotions and performances from both Dwight and Patrice that, again, I'm not even sure they knew they were capable of--then the music gets pushed back to allow for the broadcast of a track of a Malcom X's speech. Beneath it all it sounds as if each of the musicians is letting loose of some long pent-up energy--the energy borne of suppression and frustration. The whole production sounds like something more than a gospel church performance, more than a Baptist tent revival; it sounds like a cathartic release, perhaps even VERY powerful! (18.875/20)

3-5. "The Message" (11:09) This song feels like a finishing song: the final expression of release and joy at having travelled through so much to get to this point: it seems as if everybody gets a turn or an outlet to let ever last bit of pent up energy fly. There are great solos, great performances, of great power and skill on display from start to finish on this very dynamic tune. At the end I think everyone can walk away knowing that they've given their all and given their best (including the listener). (18.25/20)

If ever I heard an album that made the case for Stevie Wonder being a jazz composer, this would be that one! So many elements of so many of these songs feel as if they are inspired and informed by Stevie. And yet Kamasi seems to be channelling so many of the greats--and not just channelling but offering deeply respectful, event reverent homage to them. The genius of his vision is astounding. And inspiring.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Neo Big Band Jazz-Rock Fusion from not only a true visionary of modern jazz music but a collector and protector of all Black musics that came before him.