Kamasi Washington on the Tonight Show

[DMP]

Did  anyone catch this last night? Quite a production, in the Kamasi Washington style - over the top. But enjoyable, and something you never see on regular tv, maybe since Charlie Mingus and Roland Kirk popped up on Ed Sullivan. The whole thing reminded me of that “Village of the Pharoahs”/“Love from the Sun” groovy avant-garde period, but a much bigger production. I can see why Washington has a following beyond the Jazz audience. 

[Dub Modal]

Hate I missed it but I don't typically watch Fallon...here's the link I think: 

Jimmy says it was written specifically for the show, which makes the lyrics really interesting...

 

Edited February 3, 2022 by Dub Modal

[Teasing the Korean]

I just voted for him in the Playboy jazz poll.  

[BFrank]

He's interesting. I'm glad that he's getting a large following. But I've seen him 2-3 times and listened to his first couple of records, and realized that overall the music doesn't do anything for me.

I wish him the best and hope for continued success.

[mjazzg]

11 hours ago, BFrank said:

He's interesting. I'm glad that he's getting a large following. But I've seen him 2-3 times and listened to his first couple of records, and realized that overall the music doesn't do anything for me.

I wish him the best and hope for continued success.

That's just about where I am too, without having seen him.

I like that he is doing what he's doing and folk are listening but it just doesn't click for me maybe because I love all the influences so much.

[Rabshakeh]

My younger cousin is mad for him.

He is one of those musicians who makes me feel old, simply because there has clearly been some sort of generational shift that makes his music seem valuable to younger listeners. In the same way as my baby boomer parents couldn’t understand rock music what was “alternative” (in the marketing sense) like Nirvana or Sonic Youth at all, because it had nothing to do with what they thought was good or interesting, I find myself really struggling to see why anyone wants to listen to Washington. 

To my ears it sounds like a Disneyfied/K-pop simulation of jazz by a competent studio musician, with targets set for an epic, cinematic sound; my cousin (17) thinks he’s one of the greats, an older statesman with infinite range.

I should add that I also think his presence is a definite Good Thing: the fact that I have a 17 year old family member who is getting into jazz off the back of Washington is part of his achievement. 

Edited February 7, 2022 by Rabshakeh

[Ste_S]

I like Kamasi Washington, but don't listen to him as much as I should do as for a couple of reasons. I find the mastering on his albums a bit muddy and compressed when they should be sweeping me away on a carpet ride of epicness. I also find his albums over long, I really should brake them down into chunks. Probably my favourite things of his is The Harmony of Difference EP at 32mins!