For Millennials, rebirth of the cool
Kamasi Washington is at the helm of a resurgence in a jazz movement that’s seeing the genre embraced by Millennials and jazz purists alike.
Washington’s triple album, “The Epic,” was released in 2015 on Brainfeeder Records to rave reviews from major and independent media outlets across the board. On the album, Washington — who played saxophone and arranged strings on rapper Kendrick Lamar’s instantly iconic “To Pimp a Butterfly” and was a tour saxophonist for venerable rapper Snoop Dogg — leads a 10-piece band, a 32-piece orchestra and a 20-person choir, forging a considerable pop culture following and hip-hop fan base that believe jazz is “cool” again.
“There’s a freedom in the music; a sense of endless possibilities to it,” Washington says of jazz. “The younger generations are very individualistic. They’re into being different and being themselves. Weird is the new cool.”
Washington is scheduled to play back-to-back shows on Feb. 25 at the Independent as part of the 24th Annual Noise Pop Festival. The 34-year-old Los Angeles saxophonist will be armed with an eight-piece band. Among his bandmates are drummer Ronald Bruner Jr., singer Patrice Quinn, trombone player Ryan Porter and even Washington’s father, Rickey, on saxophone.
A turning point for Kamasi Washington in his creative process and resonance with younger audiences lies in his experience as a touring band member with some notable stars. Much like saxophone player Karl Denson, who was a stalwart with Lenny Kravitz’s touring band before building his own successful touring projects in Greyboy Allstars and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Washington cut his teeth on tour with Snoop Dogg and Lauryn Hill.
From Hill, arguably one of hip-hop and R&B’s greatest voices, Washington developed an appreciation for how far a sense of unpredictability can go. She helped shape his showmanship, which has made his output more palatable to ears unfamiliar with it.
“Her whole thing was that she wanted to make the musicians have the sensation of hearing the music for the first time, like the audience does,” says Washington, explaining that Hill would have the band learn to play songs in a way they had never played them before for fans. “That kind of philosophy spilled over into me. When we play live, I leave the music wide open, and I change the way we’re going to do it, or I might even change the key or anything just to keep fresh energy.”
The opening track to “The Epic” is a densely arranged 12-minute exploration titled “Changing of the Guard.” It opens with harrowing piano from Cameron Graves, joined by chamber-like choir vocals; Igmar Thomas’ episodic trumpet; a menacing bass line from Thundercat; Miles Mosley, Bruner and Tony Austin pacing the drums; and the magnificent Washington’s tenor saxophone front and center, floating musically into a space with no gravity to contain it.
“Changing of the Guard” never ceases to feel like a free-jazz exploration from the band. Together, Washington and this cadre of musicians constitute the new blood not only in the L.A. jazz scene, but now in a niche that’s been carved out for jazz within pop music.
Washington and company have been making music together for decades in L.A., and it’s only now, when they’ve amassed a vast collection of work — enough to justify Washington’s debut album a 172-minute triple disc — that it is getting shared with the world. So maybe jazz never stopped being cool, and people just weren’t paying attention?
“Every once in a while, there’s an opportunity for a group of musicians to move with their music and come to the forefront,” Washington says, “and now the light has shined on us.”