Album Information:
Released in 2015 on Brainfeeder
Format: 3xLP, Box Set, includes two 12×12″ inserts
Overview
After John Coltrane left this world, Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, among others, continued his spiritual quest to make music that brings feelings of joy and ascension to the hearts ands souls of listeners. Since then, many jazz artists have continued to either abandon the traditions of the past entirely, or become stale by trying too hard to preserve the jazz structures of old. With “The Epic”. Kamasi Washington and his band The Next Step, pick up where their forefathers and mothers left off by making spiritual jazz that respects the jazz canon without getting stuck in the past. This album ranges from free to groovy to melodic without losing sight of its mission. The inclusion of such a large band, an orchestra, a choir, and even a turntablist allows an infinite, colorful array of tonal and dynamic possibilities.
Recommended for fans of late 60?s/early 70?s spiritual free jazz on Impulse Records and artists that weren’t afraid to color outside the lines by drawing influence from gospel, R&B, and music from India, Africa, and South America such as Archie Shepp, Alice and John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Albert Ayler, Gato Barbieri, and many others. Kamasi and his band of extraordinarily innovative players add their own unique voices to this conversation.
