(via Kamasi Washington – “Final Thought”)
Year: 2015
Album: The Epic
I heard a lot from websites/writers/friends that I had to check out Kamasi Washington immediately because he was amazing and he was doing important things in music. Whenever I feel like everyone is telling me to check out something, I usually don’t. That’s why I’m not watching “Masters Of None” or “Making A Murderer” – too much immediate hype turns me off.
Of course I’m also an idiot, so I didn’t bother listening to The Epic when it first came out. If I did, it would have been on my end-of-year albums list.
It’s the kind of album that’s just the right amount of complex and accessible, the kind of jazz album that those who aren’t as well versed in the genre can still pick up on the kind of risks and experiments Washington is doing. It’s bold yet inviting, and now I won’t sleep on any new music from Washington.