Once In A Blue Moon
Kamasi Washington-The Epic 9.5/10
Jazz is perhaps one of the most adventurous genres ever created, and that's the beauty of it. Everything is so flexible with it's form and structure, and nothing is pigeonholed by speed or sound of songs. Jazz also has birthed some of the longest songs/records in existence today, and that is not a bad thing at all. The length of these tunes often result in some of the most wacky/interesting musical progressions ever to be heard. Kamasi Washington has been known as Flying Lotus' saxophone player, and during this tenure he played jam packed, 2-3 minute songs that were glitchy-electro, yet jazz sounding. While Fly Lo's tunes are very unique, some of the other musicians behind them are often forgotten, and it is nice to see Kamasi step out of his shadow to try things on his own. So this question is: Does Kamasi's solo album live up to Flying Lotus and other Brainfeeder artists? The answer is met with a resounding yes! This album packs so many ideas and fresh takes on jazz music that somehow over the course of its 174 minute run, it never manages to lose my interest. Kamasi Washington is not just a fresh face for jazz music, but he possibly the freshest one in the entire game right now. Him and his band have managed to make something very abstract, yet very logical in the same breath, and to me that is very special. Few artists can make an album as oddball as this one, and truly make it sound like every song/moment belongs on there. While Flying Lotus' last album was really unique and cool, I would argue that this thing, despite being practically the opposite of that album, is stronger in every way possible. It is really refreshing to see some new people step up in a genre like jazz, and believe it or not, jazz is not even close to being dead. This movement is just getting started.
Over the course of this behemoth of an album, Kamasi displays his very versatile skill on the tenor saxophone. He shows that he can play clean, dirty, wild, or very reserved and any of it still sounds like him. No matter how he plays, it somehow still fits exactly into his signature saxophone sound. The rest of the musicians on here display similar skill, especially the drummer, who rotates in between basic swing/latin grooves into oddball solos that often switch feels from duple to triple in the middle. As a jazz drummer, I am aware that most of this music is extremely challenging to play, which just gives me a further appreciation of every musical moment going on here. Every arrangement on here has so much variation and depth that it is really hard to analyze, so I'll just sum up some of the tremendous highlights from this record for you. The opener Changing of the Guard sets the tempo for this record right away. The incorporation of a choir and strings, and other exotic percussion really adds a unique environment to this track, and many of the ones that follow it. Askim is absolutely epic! This piece is a little more funky than the opener, but the time still feels very loose. The band makes several time changes throughout, yet they still find utterly fantastic. The Rhythm Changes feels short on this album, but it still is refreshing to hear a song with a more complete set of lyrics, and a song with a more direct purpose. The first side of this triple album is a little more traditional swing in comparison to others in my opinion. The second side feels just a little bit more free with tunes such as Magnificent 7 which include very improvisational sounding bass and drum parts that are pretty cool. The sax solo also gets extremely wacky which is really cool. Not a lot of people can hit the notes he is playing, and Kamasi really needed to prove himself like this early on in his career. Re Run feels very funky throughout as the drums and bass often take a backseat to the brass/woodwind work and this sounds pretty clean. I just really love the bongos also in this track because that is pretty unconventional. Side 3 is probably the weirdest, but also the best for me. Washington's take on Clair de Lune feels very personal yet still authentic and I can appreciate that. Malcom's Theme is also a meaningful ballad portraying the life of civil rights leader Malcolm X, and I think it is really cool that an African American musician today is paying homage to someone who paid the ultimate sacrifice. This song is also just very cool, and it feels like it tells a strong personal narrative. Cherokee is the funkiest tune on the album, but this is pretty refreshing. Sounds a little like a more musical advanced Jackson 5 song, which I think is pretty cool. The Message is an absolutely monstrous closer that grooves in 7/8 and is about as off-kilter as it gets. This song has some absolutely insane solos all across the board, and it probably displays the diverse musicianship on here better than any track on the album. I really feel like the album peaked at this moment, which felt just perfect. The last track is really supposed to be the best song.
Overall, this album is not for everybody. If you don't like jazz you won't like this most likely, but it sure tries a lot of new things such as chorus and string arrangements, and it also has plenty of just crazy eccentricities to it that are unmatched by any jazz album I've heard in recent memory. Kamasi Washington hasn't just rekindled my excitement for a genre, but he reminded why music is so great in the first place. He taught me that music is a group effort, and without everyone on board, the whole thing would be a trainwreck. I happily find camaraderie in music, just as Kamasi does, and I hope he inspires more people like me everyday.
Best Songs: Change of The Guard, Askim, The Next Step, The Rhythm Changes, Miss Understanding, Leroy and Lanisha, Re Run, Henrietta Our Hero, Magnificent 7, Re Run Home, Cherokee, Clair De Lune, Malcom's Theme, The Message
Worst Songs: Isabelle, Final Thought, Seven Prayers
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