“Our diversity is not something to be tolerated but celebrated.”
The supernatural jazz musician and composer Kamasi Washington hauled his 8-piece entourage across the pond and into the depths of Birmingham last week - packing his renowned effervescent style of jazz. Having previously collaborated with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Run The Jewels, and St. Vincent, as well as touring with Herbie Hancock, Washington has been forefronting the enigmatic world of jazz this decade. Composing odysseian LPs and EPs, Washington hasn’t shied away from embellishing, expanding, and experimenting with this age-old genre in desperate need of a revamp - culminating with an emphatic show buried within a city scarcely known for their acceptance of jazz.
2018’s Heaven and Earth LP became the first culprit of Washington’s excavation this evening - setting the tone with ‘Street Fighter’s plodding bassline and eventual incorporation of such other frighteningly-talented musicians on stage. Simultaneously, Washington morphed into pseudo-conductor, allowing these other entourage members to revel in their rigidly-timed improvised solos. Although my bias would naturally criticise the lack of brass instruments on stage, the 7 other members accompanying Washington pulled their shared weight in continuing this colossal jazzy set - suitably wading through nostalgic sheens of Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk engulfing the successive track ‘The Rhythm Changes’.
Along with its mammoth crescendo enticing the latter half of the track’s facade, the clear disparity between Washington’s instrumentation and sound mixing on the live stage bared apparent. Seemingly distant, much of the instrumentation displayed tonight rarely lived up to their recorded soundings, including the sole backing singer who seemed to be battling an apparent cold.
Yet, this 7-track-long setlist didn’t prevent Washington from divulging into a cover track of other artists, namely the disco-funk track ‘Giant Feelings’ from Brandon Coleman’s 2018 LP, Resistance. “Slathered with vocoder”, the tangential nature to this evening’s setlist deemed impressive in their funkier and groovier sonics, albeit against my personal preference to stick within Washington’s own discography. Nevertheless, this was more than compensated with Washington’s 2017 track ‘Truth’, exuding light piano chords, drums, and clean guitar riffs before emphatically feasting upon sonic escalations and intensities taken in the track’s stride. Within this, Washington’s keys player ultimately reigned triumphant with one of the best progressive solos my ears have laid upon - fortifying his superior dexterity, timing, and changeable grooves.
The self-professed “world’s best two drummers” soon parted the stage thereafter with a ten-minute drum duet of percussive thrashing and hashing. Whilst much of it proved courteous, the duet offered an apt respite from the encompassing jazzy world of Washington’s - allowing the audience to purely admire and respect the skills and dexterity of these drummers levitated on stage. Staying true to the jazz etiquette, my admiration for Washington’s unorthodox drum segment remained strong as each musician this evening were given their due time in the spotlight with their mastered instruments.
With the drumming respite supplying the rest of the entourage with re-charged energy, the sublime conclusion for tonight’s jazz proceedings began. The live evolution of ‘The Secret of Jinsinson’, a standard bonus track from last year’s LP, proved unflappable within the nature of jazz’s transcendence, and live transformation - baring a new life of its own. Induced by spur-of-the-moment, improvised and free-wheeling musicians revelling in their musical prowess, Washington conducted the band one final time into the most popular track, ‘Fists of Fury’. Dramatic sonic bursts collided with waves of gorgeous backing vocals evolving into the main politically-charged refrain of “fists of fury”. Whilst Washington was at last given the full chance to exude his own solo prowess buried within this track, his sheer impact and directional force over the band proved remarkable amongst this new era of effervescent jazz.
As such with the audience members packed into Birmingham’s O2 Institute, Washington and his entourage were equally able to stand, watch, and listen to each other throughout the audacious solos peppered within tonight’s set. The well-oiled jazzy machine under Washington’s jurisdiction showcased their true adroitness encasing their modernised genre - undeniably spearheaded by the unequivocal Kamasi Washington. Whilst the restricted embellishment of their outfit’s instrumentation on stage, as well as their distant live sound proved frivolous, the capabilities of these chosen musicians on stage remained astounding - basking in their revelatory experience with one of the decade’s most notable and diversified jazz musicians.
8.5/10
Kamasi Washington's latest LP, Heaven and Earth, is out now can be found here.
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