Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth (2018)

Three hours of wonderful genre-bending music from the mind of Kamasi Washington. If nothing else, Washington certainly is prolific. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to like it more than The Epic, but I do (maybe because of a seventies vibe I'm picking up). The writing is better (read: more melodic and structured) but the characteristic choral harmonies and instrumentations are there. This time around, though, he added trumpeter Dontae Winslow to the mix and, as a recovering trumpet player myself, that is a welcome addition indeed.

But wait - there's more! Kamasi hid a bonus 3rd CD in the packaging, a full 40 minute album entitled The Choice. Mentioned nowhere in the liner notes/credits, the only clue to its existence was a small, barely noticeable perforation at the top of the cardboard digipak sleeve:

After a precision cut with a knife, the disc (along with an accompanying credit sheet) slides right out the top:

Metacritic has the album rated at 86 out of a possible 100 ("universal acclaim"). Here's some published reviews:

• DownBeat (★★★★½): "Extended moments of lyricism give way to warp-speed climaxes that resolve in waves of fuzzed-out sound to mollify Washington’s fiery, free solos."
• Pitchfork (8.8 rating): "a multi-genre feast of musical ideas, his most sweeping and complete statement yet."
• Rolling Stone (★★★): "vast, refreshingly lavish soundworld is well worth getting lost in."
• NY Times: "This album dreams boldly; it also makes demands."

The album also appeared on numerous "best of 2018" lists, including NPR (#18), Pitchfork (#48), The Guardian (#7), Okayplayer (#17), Albumism (#48), and Stereogum (#34). In DownBeat polls, the critics ranked it at #4 for the year, readers also ranked it #4.

But I encourage you to buy a copy, set aside an evening, leave your phone in another room, put on some headphones, and judge for yourself.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #115
• Billboard Contemporary Jazz: #1

Tracks: The title is Heaven and Earth, but the packaging suggests listening to the Earth disc first. For the opening track, Washington took the theme song to the 1972 Bruce Lee film Fist of Fury, renamed it Fists of Fury and turned it into a full-fledged political anthem. Other highlights of disc one are Can You Hear Him, Connections, and Testify. The most consistent Kamasi I've heard; don't skip any tracks.

The Heaven disc is more orchestral and stretches out a bit. My favorite tunes on this CD are the quieter Vi Lua Vi Sol (is that a vocoder??), Show Us The Way, and Journey, a plaintive waltz.

The Source disc is a slightly different animal, but a fantastic bonus. Three Washington originals, two covers - actually, they are more complete deconstructions of the two pieces, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and Ooh Child. Not surprisingly, those are my favorite cuts, most likely because of my familiarity with the source material. Of the originals, I prefer the third track, My Family. My guess is that family is what the title Source refers to, but what do I know?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, this isn't the kind of disc I normally throw into the car when headed out on adventures.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Epic (2015)