Kamasi Washington Explained

Kamasi Washington
Birth Date:	February 18, 1981
Birth Place:	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genre:	Jazz
Occupation:	Musician
Instrument:	Tenor saxophone
Years Active:	2000–present
Current Member Of:	West Coast Get Down

Kamasi Washington (born February 18, 1981) is an American jazz saxophonist.^[1] He is a founding member of the jazz collective West Coast Get Down.

Career

Washington was born in 1981 and raised in Los Angeles, California.^{[2] [3]} He is a graduate of the Academy of Music of Alexander Hamilton High School in Beverlywood, Los Angeles. Washington next enrolled in UCLA's Department of Ethnomusicology, where he began playing with faculty members such as Kenny Burrell, Gerald Wilson, and Billy Higgins, who mentored a quartet with Washington, pianist Cameron Graves, and the brothers Stephen ("Thundercat") and Ronald Bruner. They released their debut album Young Jazz Giants in 2004 on Birdman Records.^[4]

Washington joined the Gerald Wilson Orchestra for its 2005 album In My Time.^[5] In 2008 and 2009 "The Kamasi Washington Band" played the outdoor Labor Day Jazz Concert on the Main Green at Village Green, Los Angeles.^{[6] [7]} Washington played saxophone on Kendrick Lamar's album To Pimp a Butterfly,^[8] released on March 25, 2015. Washington's debut solo recording, The Epic, was released in May 2015.^[9] Washington contributed saxophone on the Thundercat song "Them Changes", which was released on June 18, 2015, as a single from the EP The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam;^{[10] [11]} the track was later included on Thundercat's full-length album Drunk (2017).

Washington released the mini-album/EP Harmony of Difference in September 2017. This was followed by his second full-length studio album, Heaven and Earth, which was released in June 2018, with a companion EP titled The Choice released a week later.Washington has played along with a diverse group of musicians including Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Horace Tapscott, Lauryn Hill, Nas, Snoop Dogg,^[12] George Duke, Chaka Khan, Flying Lotus, Mike Muir, Francisco Aguabella, St. Vincent, the Pan Afrikaan People's Orchestra, Run the Jewels and Raphael Saadiq.

On June 25, 2020, Washington, Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, and 9th Wonder announced the formation of the supergroup Dinner Party. They released a single, "Freeze Tag", and their debut extended play, Dinner Party, was released on July 10, 2020.^[13]

On June 18, 2021, Washington released a new song "Sun Kissed Child" as part of The Undefeateds Music for the Movement series.^[14] Also in 2021, Washington and his band contributed a cover of the Metallica song "My Friend of Misery" to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist.^[15]

Awards and nominations

Year	Ceremony	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
1999	John Coltrane Music Competition				^[16]
2015	Worldwide Winners	Album of the Year	The Epic		^[17]
2016	American Music Prize				^[18]
	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Jazz Album			^[19]
	Libera Awards	Album of the Year			^[20] ^[21]
		Best Breakthrough Artist
		Groundbreaking Album of the Year
		Heritage Album of the Year
2018	UK Music Video Awards	Best Urban Video – International	"Street Fighter Mas"		^[22]
	Libera Awards	Best Jazz Album	Harmony of Difference		^[23]
2019	Worldwide Winners	Jazz Album of the Year	Heaven and Earth		^[24]
	Libera Awards	Album of the Year			^[25]
		Best Jazz Album
		Creative Packaging
		Video of the Year	"Heaven & Earth"
	Brit Awards	International Male Solo Artist	Himself		^[26]
	UK Music Video Awards	Best Alternative Video – International	"Hub-tones"		^[27]
		Best Special Video Project	"As Told to g/d Thyself"
2020	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score)	Becoming		^[28]
	Libera Awards	Best Sync Usage	Music in Apple Shot on iPhone XS commercial		^[29]
2021	Grammy Awards	Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media	Becoming		^[30]
2023	Libera Awards	Best Jazz Record	"The Garden Path"		^[31]

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Studio albums

• Young Jazz Giants (with Cameron Graves, Stephen Bruner, & Ronald Bruner Jr.) (Birdman, 2004)
• Live at 5th Street Dick's (self-released, 2005)
• The Proclamation (self-released, 2007)
• Light of the World (self-released, 2008)
• The Epic (Brainfeeder, 2015)^{[32] [33]}
• Heaven and Earth (Young, 2018)^[34]
• Fearless Movement (Young, 2024)

EPs

• Harmony of Difference (Young, 2017)^[35]
• The Choice (Young, 2018)
• Becoming – Music from the Netflix Original Documentary (Young, 2020)
• Dinner Party with Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, 9th Wonder (Sounds of Crenshaw/Empire, 2020)
• Enigmatic Society with Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, 9th Wonder (Sounds of Crenshaw/Empire, 2023)

With Throttle Elevator Music

• Throttle Elevator Music (Wide Hive, 2012)
• Area J (Wide Hive, 2014)
• Jagged Rocks (Wide Hive, 2015)
• Throttle Elevator Music IV (Wide Hive, 2016)
• Retrorespective (Wide Hive, 2017)
• Emergency Exit (Wide Hive, 2020)
• Final Floor (Wide Hive, 2021)

As sideman

• Gold by Ryan Adams — on "New York, New York" and "Touch, Feel & Lose" (Lost Highway, 2001)
• Blackberry Belle by The Twilight Singers (One Little Indian, 2003)
• by Snoop Dogg — on "No Thang On Me" (Geffen/Star Trak/Doggy Style, 2004)
• Searching for Jerry Garcia by Proof — on "Pimplikeness" (Iron Fist Records, 2005)
• Something Else
• Ego Trippin' by Snoop Dogg — on "Press Play" (Geffen/Doggy Style, 2008)
• The Golden Age of Apocalypse by Thundercat – on "Is It Love?" (Brainfeeder, 2011)
• Perseverance by Phil Ranelin (Wide Hive, 2011)
• DreamWeaver by George Duke – on "Stones of Orion," "Trippin'," "Ashtray," "Ball & Chain" (with Teena Marie), and "Burnt Sausage Jam" (Heads Up, 2013)
• Chameleon by Harvey Mason – on "Black Frost" (Concord, 2014)
• Up by Stanley Clarke – on "I Have Something to Tell You Tonight" (Mack Avenue, 2014)
• You're Dead! by Flying Lotus (Warp, 2014)
• To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar – saxophone on "u", string arrangement for "Mortal Man" (Aftermath/Interscope, 2015)
• The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam by Thundercat (Brainfeeder, 2015)
• Run the Jewels 3 by Run the Jewels – on "Thursday in the Danger Room" (Mass Appeal/RED, 2016)
• Drunk by Thundercat (Brainfeeder, 2017)
• Damn by Kendrick Lamar – strings on "Lust" (Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope, 2017)
• Ash by Ibeyi – on "Deathless" (XL, 2017)
• Masseduction by St. Vincent – on "Pills" (Loma Vista, 2017)
• Alone by Cory Henry – on "Operation Funk" (Culture Collective, 2022)
• No Excuses by Childish Gambino – on "Bando Stone and The New World" (Rolling Stone, 2024)

With the Gerald Wilson Orchestra

• In My Time (Mack Avenue, 2005)
• Monterey Moods (Mack Avenue, 2007)
• Detroit (Mack Avenue, 2009)
• Legacy (Mack Avenue, 2011)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Serrano . Shea . Music Picks: Hootenanny, The Moonbeams, Kamasi Washington . https://web.archive.org/web/20150709145431/http://www.laweekly.com/music/music-picks-hootenanny-the-moonbeams-kamasi-washington-2175556 . dead . July 9, 2015 . Laweekly.com . July 5, 2012 . Archived July 9, 2015.
2. News: Shatz. Adam. January 21, 2016. Kamasi Washington's Giant Step. en-US. The New York Times. September 13, 2021. 0362-4331.
3. Web site: Welch. Will. January 4, 2016. Why You Should Listen to Kamasi Washington, the High Priest of Sax. September 13, 2021. GQ. en-US.
4. Web site: Kellman . Andy . Kamasi Washington | Biography . . May 8, 2015.
5. Blanco, Edward. "Gerald Wilson Orchestra: In My Time." Allaboutjazz.com, January 4, 2006.
6. Web site: Village Green Owners Association Newsletter . August 26, 2008 . Village Green LA . March 12, 2024.
7. Web site: Village Green Highlights . Summer 2009 . Village Green LA . March 12, 2024.
8. Weiner . Natalie . How Kendrick Lamar Transformed Into 'The John Coltrane of Hip-Hop' on 'To Pimp a Butterfly' . . May 8, 2015 . March 26, 2015.
9. Web site: Colter Walls . Seth . Kamasi Washington: The Epic . . May 8, 2015 . May 8, 2015.
10. Web site: Thundercat to release surprise album featuring Flying Lotus and Herbie Hancock. Geslani. Michelle. June 18, 2015. Consequence. September 26, 2023.
11. Web site: Thundercat: "Them Changes" Track Review. Larson. Jeremy D.. July 9, 2015. Pitchfork. September 26, 2023.
12. Web site: Listen to Kamasi Washington Talk Kendrick, Coltrane, More With Marc Maron on "WTF" . Pitchfork.com . September 22, 2016 . September 30, 2016.
13. Web site: June 25, 2020. Hear The New Supergroup From Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, And 9th Wonder. June 25, 2020. Stereogum.
14. Web site: Hussey . Allison . Listen to Kamasi Washington's New Song "Sun Kissed Child" . Pitchfork . June 21, 2021 . June 18, 2021.
15. Web site: He. Richard S.. 2021-09-10. Every Metallica Blacklist cover ranked from worst to best. 2021-10-24. loudersound. en.
16. Web site: Five Fun Facts: Kamasi Washington. February 27, 2018. July 30, 2020. Live Nation.
17. Web site: Kamasi Washington draws inspiration from former jazz icons. March 3, 2020. July 30, 2020. Jazz.fm. Emily. Bonnell.
18. Kamasi Washington on Winning First-Ever American Music Prize & How Jazz Doesn't Have to Be 'Daunting'. March 7, 2016. July 30, 2020. Billboard. Natalie. Weiner.
19. Web site: 'Straight Outta Compton,' 'Empire,' Michael B. Jordan Top NAACP Image Awards. February 5, 2016. July 30, 2020. Variety.
20. Web site: SoundExchange Presents The 2016 A2IM Libera Awards. April 11, 2016. March 19, 2020. Shorefire.
21. Web site: Alabama Shakes And Kamasi Washington Win Big At The Independent Music Awards. Brooklyn Magazine. Caitlin. White. June 17, 2016. March 19, 2020.
22. Web site: UK Music Video Awards 2018: all the nominations!. September 27, 2018. July 30, 2020. Promo News.
23. Web site: Aimee Mann, Funky Four +1 Perform, Slowdive Wins Big at Indie Libera Awards. June 22, 2018. March 19, 2020. Variety. Jem. Aswad.
24. Web site: Worldwide Awards 2019. Gilles Peterson Worldwide. February 1, 2019. July 30, 2020.
25. Web site: A2IM Libera Indie Music Awards 2019 – Full Winners List. June 24, 2019. March 19, 2020. Hypebot. Bruce. Houghton.
26. Web site: Full list of Brit awards 2019 winners. February 20, 2019. July 30, 2020. The Guardian.
27. Web site: UK Music Video Awards 2019 nominations revealed. September 26, 2019. July 30, 2020. Music Week. George. Garner.
28. Web site: Trent Reznor, Kamasi Washington, RZA, More Nominated for 2020 Emmys. July 28, 2020. Pitchfork. July 30, 2020. Matthew. Strauss.
29. Chance the Rapper, FKA Twigs, Courtney Barnett & More Shortlisted For 2020 A2IM Libera Awards. Billboard. April 2, 2020. April 8, 2020. Lars. Brandle.
30. Web site: William . Chris . Grammy Awards Nominations 2021: The Complete List . Variety . November 24, 2020 . November 24, 2020.
31. Web site: Wet Leg, Sudan Archives and More Win Big at 2023 A2IM Libera Awards. Variety. Thania. Garcia. Emanuel. Okusanya. June 16, 2023. June 17, 2023.
32. Web site: Kamasi Washington – The Epic. April 1, 2021. Bandcamp.
33. Web site: Thom Jurek . The Epic – Kamasi Washington | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards . . May 5, 2015.
34. Web site: Kamasi Washington Announces New Album Heaven and Earth. Pitchfork. Wicks. Amanda. April 9, 2018. April 10, 2018.
35. Web site: Kamasi Washington announces Harmony of Difference EP release on 12. July 31, 2017. Thevinylfactory.com. November 2, 2017.