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)

Kamasi Washington - The Epic (2015)

Go big or go home. This sprawling work of classical jazz swings, bops, and soars for three hours on 3 CDs. Part 1 is titled "The Plan," part 2 "The Glorious Tale," and part 3 "The Historic Repetition," but I can't find an explanation or thread between the three parts (there's a few cover tunes on part 3 so maybe that fact explains the title). Washington's writing and, even more so, his arranging are on another plane. For example, the piece I'm listening to as I write these words sound like Ornette Coleman soloing over the wordless vocal choir from the end of Marvin Gaye's Mercy Mercy Me. At times, there's just so much going on here that my mind can't keep up with my ears, but I know it is quality stuff and worth the effort.

Here's some reviews - maybe these people have more of a clue than I:

• Pitchfork (8.6 rating): "It’s a large and generous canvas, with the feel of a generational intervention."
• Rolling Stone (★★★½): "To be sure, it’s a jazz album, as much about tradition as expanding it, informed by Coltranes (John and Alice), Miles Davis fusions, bebop and more; yet it’s clearly shaped by crate-digger funk and film scores, hip-hop collage and gospel."
• NPR: "It seems intentionally to overwhelm, in an immersive way; it's music to be swept up by and revisited after the wave subsides."

The album also appeared on numerous "best of 2015" lists, including Pitchfork (#10), NPR, Mashable (#22), The Guardian (#8), and Rolling Stone (#41). I tried to find a critique of the album in DownBeat magazine, but they chose not to review it. Oops.

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: Did not chart
• Billboard Heatseekers: #6
• Billboard Independent: #18
• Billboard Jazz: #3

Tracks: Of the 6 tracks on Volume 1 - The Plan, my picks are Change of the Guard, the organ-drenched Isabelle, and the poppish final tune, The Rhythm Changes, with vocals by Patrice Quinn.

Volume 2 - The Glorious Tale also contains 6 tracks. Of those, I prefer Leroy And Lanisha, the tranquil Seven Prayers, and The Magnificent 7 (which, naturally, is in 7 and sounds a lot like Snarky Puppy).

As mentioned above, Volume 3 - The Historic Repetition includes several cover tunes: three covers, two originals. Cherokee, a standard from 1938, is re-imagined as an early '70s R&B tune - the arrangement immediately reminded me of Everybody Plays the Fool by The Main Ingredient and I enjoy it immensely. I also like the groove of the opener, Re Run Home, and the final statement, The Message (especially Thundercat's bass solo).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I was hipped to Washington by my friend Blake back in 2015. He mentioned the album, probably via text, I streamed a bit of it, and immediately ordered a copy.

Blog post #1500