Kamasi Washington
| Kamasi Washington | |
|---|---|
|
Washinton performing at BRIC JazzFest Marathon in Brooklyn, New York in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
February 1981 (age 35) Los Angeles California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Saxophone |
| Labels | Brainfeeder |
| Associated acts | Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat, Flying Lotus |
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Kamasi Washington (born February 18, 1981) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, production editor and band leader. Washington is mainly known for his tenor playing.[1]
Background
Washington was born in Los Angeles, California,[2] United States, to musical parents and educators, and was raised in Inglewood, California. He is a graduate of the Academy of Music of Alexander Hamilton High School (Los Angeles) in the Beverlywood neighborhood.[1] Washington next enrolled in UCLA's Department of Ethnomusicology. There, he began playing with numerous faculty members such as Kenny Burrell, Billy Higgins and band leader and trumpeter Gerald Wilson and released the Young Jazz Giants album in 2004.[3] He has since played along with a musically diverse group of musicians including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Horace Tapscott, Gerald Wilson, Lauryn Hill, Nas, Snoop Dogg, George Duke, Chaka Khan, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Francisco Aguabella, the Pan Afrikaan People's Orchestra and Raphael Saadiq. Washington played saxophone on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly[4] and released a solo album, The Epic in 2015.[5]
Awards
- Winner, 1999 John Coltrane Music Competition
Music festivals and benefits
Washington has played and arranged for the following music festivals:
- Central Avenue Jazz Festival
- Fifth Annual Leimert Park African Art and Music Festival, Sept. 1, 2013, Leimert Park, Los Angeles
- Third Annual Leimert Park African Art and Music Festival, 2011, Leimert Park, Los Angeles
- KKJZ First Annual Summer Benefit Concert, June 20, 2013, Walt Disney Concert Hall, with drummer Harvey Mason's Chameleon group.
Discography
As bandleader
- Live At 5th Street Dick's, 2005 (2CD), self-released on Kamasi's own indie label.
- The Proclamation, 2007, self-released on Kamasi's own indie label.
- Light Of The World, 2008, self-released on Kamasi's own indie label.
- The Epic, 2015 (3CD), on Brainfeeder Records.[6]
As guest musician
- Young Jazz Giants (quartet with Kamasi, Cameron Graves, Stephen Bruner, Ronald Bruner), 2004, on Birdman Records.
- In My Time by Gerald Wilson Orchestra (with Kamasi as guest saxophonist with Gerald's New York City band), 2005, on Mack Avenue Records.
- Chameleon by Harvey Mason (with Kamasi as guest saxophonist on the track "Black Frost"), 2014, on Concord Records.
- Up by Stanley Clarke (with Kamasi as guest saxophonist on the track "I Have Something To Tell You Tonight"), 2014, on Mack Avenue Records.
- You're Dead! by Flying Lotus, 2014, on Warp Records.
- To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar (arranger on "Mortal Man"), 2015, on Aftermath/Interscope Records.
- The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam by Thundercat, 2015, on Brainfeeder.
References
- 1 2 Serrano, Shea (2012-07-05). "Music Picks: Hootenanny, The Moonbeams, Kamasi Washington". Laweekly.com. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
- ↑ Welch, Will Meet Kamasi Washington, the High Priest of Sax ]] GQ. January 5, 2016
- ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Kamasi Washington | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ↑ Weiner, Natalie (March 26, 2015). "How Kendrick Lamar Transformed Into 'The John Coltrane of Hip-Hop' on 'To Pimp a Butterfly'". Billboard (magazine). Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ↑ Colter Walls, Seth (8 May 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
- ↑ Thom Jurek. "The Epic - Kamasi Washington | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
External links
- Official website
- Wilson Orchestra, review of album "In My Time", 2005, posted on All About Jazz on January 4, 2006
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