Kamasi Washington – Malcolm’s Theme

By now I’ve had a few more weeks to spend with Kamasi Washington’s long awaited release, and perhaps the most appropriately titled record of the 21st century, The Epic, and my feelings for it haven’t changed much over that period of time. The Epic is finest Jazz recording of this new century. At three separate CDs (I don’t even know how many sides of vinyl this would end up being…8? 10???), 17 tracks and almost 3 hours in length, you could be excused for thinking that there must be some filler here, or some moments that drag or some tracks to skip…but there are none. What we have is an exceptionally thrilling piece of music, from start to finish, that encompasses the many different styles and moods that Kamasi and his group, The Next Step, augmented by strings and a choir, have been associated with over the last several years here in Los Angeles.

While The Epic has drawn some comparisons to the work of John Coltrane in his spiritual period, post “A Love Supreme” and Miles Davis’ fusion groups of the mid-1970s, I don’t really find those comparisons particularly apt. Instead, the artist whom Kamasi, with varied styles and sounds on this album, most reminds me of is Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Kirk was a true master of his many instruments and part of his mastery was the ability to play any style and any time, and to sound at home, whether it was New Orleans Dixieland or straight up Jazz-Funk. Kamasi has that similar chameleon ability, not only in the seamless way songs incorporate multiple genres, but in his playing itself. Whereas many contemporary saxophone players clearly worship at the altar of a single influence (generally John Coltrane), Kamasi’s solos flow from the sublime and softness of a Lester Young, to the fire and brimstone of Pharoah Sanders to the greasy soul of a Lou Donaldson or Rusty Bryant, without sounding directly like any of those masters. Such was the quality of Rahsaan Roland Kirk that made him beloved by so many, a quality that Kamasi also seems to be developing as his own legend grows. Another link to Rahsaan is the importance of dreams for his music, and the inspiration of dreams that compelled Kamasi to not break up this music into separate releases, but to group all 17 tracks together into a three part story.

In truth, the sound displayed on The Epic owes less to Rahsaan, than it does to the artist collectives of the 1970s, from here in Los Angeles with Horace Tapscott’s Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, to the spiritual and uplifting sounds of Mtume Umoja Ensemble, Billy Parker’s Fourth World and the Ensemble Al-Salaam. The Epic shares the adventurous sound of those artists, while not being solely anchored in the past. As with those groups, it’s highly likely that the ability of Kamasi to not be tied to a single sound or a signle definition of what his music could be is owed to the fact that he’s been able to record this album for the artist controlled Brainfeeder record label, at the behest of label head Flying Lotus. There’s a freedom within this album that you rarely see in contemporary jazz, a freedom to honor the past, but to push the artform into the future.

Given my particular tastes, it’s perhaps not surprising that I am most drawn to the songs that do seem to be most influenced or directly referencing the past, as is the case on the song chosen for this review, “Malcolm’s Theme,” a piece that serves as a fitting tribute here on the 90th anniversary of Malcolm X’s birth. Kamasi’s choice to have Patrice Quinn and Dwight Trible render Ossie Davis’ moving eulogy to Brother Malcolm into song, along with the rhythms provided by the band, take a piece that could have been elegiac and make it triumphant. Malcolm’s voice, interposed with the music, speaks to us, and remains relevant these 50 years since his murder. As the penultimate song on The Epic, “Malcolm’s Theme” serves as a reminder of the paths we have taken to arrive at the present, and of the work we still have ahead to create a future worthy of those who made it all possible. That future is made brighter by Kamasi Washington and the musicians who have given us a true blessing with the music on this album.

Annabel (Lee) – (1849)

A lot of times by this time of the year my brain is more or less mush. The last several weeks of the semester are a mad rush of classes, papers, exams and long nights hard at work. Most of the time releases will slip under my radar and sometimes I might not catch up to them until mid-Summer. Thankfully I’m not too too late on this release, which might have been the best new album ever released on Record Store Day, a marvelous and moody piece of work by a duo calling themselves Annabel (Lee). From the name, to the title of the record and songs, to the imagery on the cover, there’s a clear inspiration gained from the work of Edgar Allen Poe. The music reminds my ears of the glory days of trip hop, and while I don’t have nearly enough information on the artists behind this music (Annabel & Richard E), I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if they had lent their talents to some of the UK bands of that period of time.

As you can tell from “(1849),” Annabel’s vocals don’t quite sound of this world, and the production work behind her, sparse, dark and at times downright ghostly, keeps the sound floating into the kind of space you’d think a dream-time collaboration between Billie Holiday and Geoff Barrow, both at their most melancholy, would produce. As best I can tell both artists now call Los Angeles home and so if all goes well we’ll all get to know much more about this music in the summer when I have the time to track them down and bring them into the KPFK studios. Until then, we have this music, some of the best I’ve heard all year, to tide us over.

Tashi Dorji – Forbidden

Tashi Dorji was born in Bhutan, but has spent considerable time in the South, Asheville, North Carolina, and produces acoustic guitar music that honors “traditional music” from both places. It’s hard not to hear echoes of John Fahey, but that’s only because of how steeped in these traditions Fahey was as well. Appa has been a godsend for me in the last month or so when I’ve been desperately in need of “Soul Music” that opens up my mind and allows my brain to recharge. Gorgeous, pastoral and pensive…Appa’s only drawback is that the album is over just as it seems to have begun, since all of the tracks are fairly short. But these days that’s a problem easily fixed by a repeat button, and I definitely recommend spending lots and lots of quality time with this one.

Since kicking off in December of last year, the Rock’n’Roll flea market has been popping off on the first Sunday of each month from 10am until 3pm at the recently remodeled and lovely Regent Theater in Downtown Los Angeles. This particular Sunday, yours truly will be playing some maximum Rock’n’Roll on wax from 12-1pm, before I jet over to KPFK for my show. Swing by for the records, posters, vintage duds, and all kinds of memorabilia!

It’s hard not to think of Desert Daze as the “Anti-Coachella,” since the daylong fest embodies everything that Coachella does not in it’s current form. Desert Daze provides a truly diverse, multi-genre, independent array of talent for your listening pleasure, spread out throughout a single day, this year featuring Warpaint, The Budos Band, Minus the Bear (performing “They Make Beer Commercials Like This” start to finish), RJD2, Chelsea Wolfe, Carlos Nino & Friends and about 30 other acts. If you’d like a chance to escape LA for a day and see all of this music for free, make sure to e-mail me at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com before 5pm on Thursday.

Headlining the fest will be Los Angeles’ very own Warpaint, and there probably isn’t a better band to see under the stars in the cool desert night:

The Budos Band’s heavy and dark sounds ought to lend themselves nicely to the Desert Daze stage as well:

Chelsea Wolfe is another artist whose sound is just built for the night, wide open spaces and starry skies:

Portico feat. Jamie Woon – Memory Of Newness

In the recent past, Portico was known as the Portico Quartet, and their sound was more closely aligned with the Cinematic Orchestra, though with a more of a classic jazz edge to it. Of late they dropped both the jazzier style and the “quartet” from their name and have been reimagined as a bit more ambient, more electronic, much darker in tone outfit. I’m not even sure exactly what to call music like this, increasingly I find I’ve grown tired of trying to box the music I enjoy, particularly newer artists, into neat genres. It is fascinating music, made all the more intriguing by the choice of vocalists, including Joe Newman of Alt-J, Jono McCleery and Jamie Woon, who can be heard on the track I’ve chosen to highlight for you, “Memory of Newness.”