Stream Kamasi Washington The Epic

Stream Kamasi Washington The Epic

We don’t post a whole lot of jazz here on Stereogum, at least in part because I genuinely do not know shit about it. But the saxophonist Kamasi Washington has plenty of overlap with stuff we do post. Flying Lotus is releasing Washington’s new album The Epic on his Brainfeeder label. Washington plays on Kendrick Lamar’s new album To Pimp A Butterfly and also contributes string arrangements. Washington has been playing with an L.A. jazz band called the West Coast Get Down since he was a kid, and the band also includes Thundercat. More to the point: He’s making music that feels pretty monumental, even if you know nothing about jazz. The Epic is a vast and sprawling piece of work — a three-hour triple-album with songs that routinely go way past 10 minutes. All 10 members of the West Coast Get Down play on the album, and it also has an orchestra and a choir. And there’s a sense of funk and melody and play to all of it. Even if you have no real context for what you’re hearing, it’s a remarkably rich and inviting listen. And right now, you can check out the entire massive three-hour thing at NPR.

The Epic is out 5/5 on Brainfeeder.

more from News