If you go to Kamasi Washington’s website and look for his upcoming live performances you will only find one concert on his schedule. That is his appearance on Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl. Which means whether you are a fan in Los Angeles or from around the world, this is going to be a concert you’ll definitely want to see.
I’ve had the privilege of seeing Washington perform several times and am always mightily impressed with the musicianship, the generosity with which he shares the spotlight with his bandmates and the absolute joy that radiates off the stage.
Perhaps you saw the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage episode where he performed excerpts from the score he wrote for the documentary Becoming. It is 47 minutes that will linger in your heart and mind for days and weeks.
If you’re unfamiliar with Kamasi Washington, let me introduce you. He was the winner of the 1999 John Coltrane Music Competition during his senior year in high school. That opened a lot of doors for the young musician.
Two years later he began recording with Ryan Adams. Washington would go on to record with Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Flying Lotus, St. Vincent and Thundercat. He also plays a pivotal role in Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly and Damn. He’s been a regular part of the Gerald Wilson Orchestra since 2005.
It was his nearly three-hour The Epic, released in 2015 that firmly established him as one of the top jazz musicians and composers working today. The album features a 10-piece jazz band, backed by a 32-piece orchestra and a 20-person choir. Critics and audiences took notice.
Harmony of Difference, an EP, was released in 2017. The next year he released Heaven and Earth which received near universal acclaim from critics around the world. Becoming was released last year.
Kamasi Washington grew up in Los Angeles as did his opening act, Earl Sweatshirt. He’s a writer, lyricist, and producer who burst onto the contemporary collective scene in the early 2010s. He’s released five albums (beginning with 2013’s Doris) and a very popular mixtape called Earl.
Anne Litt of KCRW will be the host for the concert.
Tickets for this concert can be purchased here.
