Album of the Week – ‘The Epic’ by Kamasi Washington
‘The Epic’ by Kamasi Washington is Eastside Radio’s Album of the Week.
This critically acclaimed three part debut solo release has receive praise globally often touted as the jazz album of the year, presenting a fusion of sounds with some of the most outstanding talents of the genre to date. It seems astonishing to most who are unfamiliar with his work that this album could possibly be his first release, however the artist has spent his time prior to this working alongside many of the artists featured on the album as well as various other projects. This time spent away from the spot light as something Washington has truly cherished in that he’s taken each opportunity to craft his talent in order to create a body of work that feels truly complete timeless and awe inspiring. 172 minutes spread across three volumes see’s a cast of a 20 person strong choir, 32 piece orchestra with an added undercurrent of a 10 piece band traverse a world of genre’s. Capping off the ensemble are the vocal stylings of Patrice Quinn’s alongside bassist Thundercat, drummer Ronald Bruner Jr., bassist Miles Mosley, drummer Tony Austin, keyboard player Brandon Coleman, pianist Cameron Graves, and trombonist Ryan Porter.
Track Listing
Volume 1: The Plan
1. “Change of the Guard” — 12:15
2. “Askim” — 12:34
3. “Isabelle” — 12:12
4. “Final Thought” — 6:31
5. “The Next Step” — 14:48
6. “The Rhythm Changes” — 7:45
Volume 2: The Glorious Tale
1. “Miss Understanding” — 8:46
2. “Leroy and Lanisha” — 9:24
3. “Re Run” — 8:19
4. “Seven Prayers” — 7:35
5. “Henrietta Our Hero” — 7:13
6. “The Magnificent 7” — 12:48
Volume 3: The Historic Repetition
1. “Re Run Home” — 14:06
2. “Cherokee” — 8:14
3. “Clair de Lune” — 11:07
4. “Malcolm’s Theme” — 8:40
5. “The Message” — 11:11
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Artist Listing (Core Group)
Miles Mosley
Ronald Bruner Jr
Tony Austin
Thundercat
Brandon Coleman
Dwight Trible
Pratrice Quinn
Leon Mobley
Cameron Graves
Ryan Porter
Igmar Thomas
For more information about Kamasi Washington, head to his FACEBOOK page or artist website www.kamasiwashington.com/
The album will be given away throughout the week. For your chance to win, you must be a supporter so make sure to sign up at https://eastsidefm.org/support-us-2/. Don’t forget you can also stream the station at WWW.EASTSIDEFM.ORG
