It's definitely my album of the year even if I am one of those who doesnt listen to much jazz after the 1970s
― Cosmic Slop, Friday, 2 October 2015 23:34 (eight years ago) link
it is a pretty impressive album, aptly titled for sure imo, just very cool that someone put out an album full of this much ambition and with such a large scope, and to have it received so positively especially for a contemporary jazz album. i have to admit i haven't really absorbed the entire thing enough to get a sense of it, 170 minutes is so much music! i've probably only played the whole thing once, though particular pieces of it more than that.
interesting to hear about the 3-lp set, curious to hear whether or not they pull it off in terms of sound quality. i think i maybe mentioned it on the jazz thread but this is an incredibly dense album musically -- i mean a 10-piece jazz band, 20-person choir, 32-piece orchestra -- that is a lot of sonic information to convey in a recording especially one informed by the chaos of free jazz and ime this album really showed the limits of my modest stereo. i didn't even bother playing it on my car stereo beyond a track or two, it was just too dense and i felt like i was missing a LOT of what was happening. i mean i feel the same way about ascension, that's not for the car or my ipod, but that was recorded beautifully and also it is only what a double quartet?
― marcos, Friday, 2 October 2015 23:44 (eight years ago) link
Def my album of the year too
― Whiney G. Weingarten, Saturday, 3 October 2015 00:39 (eight years ago) link
Can someone report back definitively on the vinyl pressing? I have this on hold at the store here and don't wanna drop $40 if it sounds worse than the CD I already have. Sure does look awesome though
― Wimmels, Saturday, 3 October 2015 01:31 (eight years ago) link
Ive not heard the CD but its fine to me, but I appreciate my ears aren't one to trust
― Cosmic Slop, Saturday, 3 October 2015 01:33 (eight years ago) link
I agree it's initially a lot to process. I ended up working backwards: CD3 is perhaps the easiest to digest, so I stuck with that for a while and left CD1 to last. I also streamed "Re Run Home" and "Miss Understanding" over and over again until they became familiar, later doing the same for "Changing of the Guard" and "Askim". Hacking off little chunks and chewing on them, basically.
― mike t-diva, Saturday, 3 October 2015 08:24 (eight years ago) link
Cosmic Slop, have you also heard the album he's put out this year with Throtlle Elevator Music? Jazz sax over rock/punk/thrash, if you will. I also love "Them Changes", his track with Thundercat.
― mike t-diva, Saturday, 3 October 2015 08:27 (eight years ago) link
Awhile ago I put together a Spotify playlist of all his non-Epic material that I could round up - not just the Throttle Elevator Music albums (there are three), but the Young Jazz Giants album from about a decade ago and his sideman appearances on albums by George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Harvey Mason, etc. Here's the link.
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Saturday, 3 October 2015 09:55 (eight years ago) link
the organ playing on "Isabelle" is one of my favorite things ever.
― Heez, Saturday, 3 October 2015 13:48 (eight years ago) link
Mike I havent but will now thanks to phil's link. thanks!
― Cosmic Slop, Saturday, 3 October 2015 15:10 (eight years ago) link
i dunno about the vinyl, but i got to see him and his band up close in a tiny horse barn at Pickathon and it was life-changing, man. if you have a chance to see 'em, do so.
― alpine static, Saturday, 3 October 2015 15:27 (eight years ago) link
Only a couple songs in and now kicking myself for not catching his show at Icehouse on Eat Street a month ago.
― Norse Jung (Eric H.), Saturday, 3 October 2015 19:49 (eight years ago) link
Dude they were supposed to play until 12, I left at 1:30 and they were still going strong
― Ma$e-en-scène (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, 3 October 2015 20:40 (eight years ago) link
didn't realise until reading this thread that there was a London gig imminent - sold out obv :(
― pep ponk aliyev (seandalai), Saturday, 3 October 2015 21:28 (eight years ago) link
this album reminds me of the 70s axelrod/adderley groove ..
sold
― brimstead, Saturday, 3 October 2015 23:01 (eight years ago) link
yeah and parts of it remind me of New Grass and other jazz goes pop thread touchstones
― pep ponk aliyev (seandalai), Sunday, 4 October 2015 00:08 (eight years ago) link
OK, bought the vinyl version today. If it sounds crummy I'm holding ILX responsible
Just kidding, I don't care that much, especially since the packaging looks so cool. Will report back
― Wimmels, Sunday, 4 October 2015 01:01 (eight years ago) link
well, this is some moderately pleasant background music
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Sunday, 4 October 2015 04:26 (eight years ago) link
truly remarkable in how it combines total wallpaper inoffensiveness with showboat egocentrism hero auteurism. and they said it couldn't be done!
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Sunday, 4 October 2015 04:28 (eight years ago) link
They said it about your posts, mainly.
― Norse Jung (Eric H.), Sunday, 4 October 2015 06:41 (eight years ago) link
yeah its also what they said about banging your mom
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Sunday, 4 October 2015 07:47 (eight years ago) link
Lester bangs on 'a love supreme' amirite?
― Haino Corrida (NickB), Sunday, 4 October 2015 07:53 (eight years ago) link
The emperor has no edge!
― twunty fifteen (imago), Sunday, 4 October 2015 08:30 (eight years ago) link
I tried to listen to this the other day but I couldn't really hear it through my tmi earwax storm (ongoing) - in this state all music induces the sensation of longing
― twunty fifteen (imago), Sunday, 4 October 2015 08:32 (eight years ago) link
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IdgfFbvipsI/maxresdefault.jpg
― fappy board (wins), Sunday, 4 October 2015 08:34 (eight years ago) link
imago what the hell kind of earwax problem do you have a couple visits to the doctor can't fix
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Sunday, 4 October 2015 09:32 (eight years ago) link
sold on the cover alone
― The Reverend, Sunday, 4 October 2015 12:36 (eight years ago) link
It's basically an ideal of how you want a jazz dude to look
― Ma$e-en-scène (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, 4 October 2015 12:38 (eight years ago) link
yea cover art is what drew me in even before I heard his name, I th k it was actually on that noteworthy album covers thread
― marcos, Sunday, 4 October 2015 14:05 (eight years ago) link
my pals who are not mere dabblers re: the past 40 years of "jazz" —which is what I am and I suspect every single poster here is— seem to be indifferent to this guy. I'm gonna listen, but this does seem like "oh yeah, I'm way into Kendrick and Dangelo, I'd like to listen to a current jazz dude and this is familiar enough…"
― veronica moser, Sunday, 4 October 2015 14:35 (eight years ago) link
imago what the hell kind of earwax problem do you have a couple visits to the doctor can't fix― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp),
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp),
they dont like to syringe your ears here incase they damage the eardrum so they give you a bottle of almond oil and you wait 3 or 4 weeks for it to work.
― Cosmic Slop, Sunday, 4 October 2015 14:47 (eight years ago) link
or I could pour some smooth, smooth cosmic jazz into my ear; that should work more quickly
― twunty fifteen (imago), Sunday, 4 October 2015 14:52 (eight years ago) link
this is like the black crowes of "a Love supreme": this guy not only cops Coltrane's tone but arrangements of that record…
― veronica moser, Sunday, 4 October 2015 15:01 (eight years ago) link
I don't think I'm a dabbler (been listening for 30 years, written almost as much about jazz - including 2 books - as about rock/metal over the last 20) and I think the album's great. Went out of my way not to mention Kendrick Lamar when reviewing it for Jazziz, precisely to avoid that whole co-signing phenomenon.
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Sunday, 4 October 2015 15:03 (eight years ago) link
cool, man! see above for what I think so far. I never read Jazziz, but I was still amused to learn that some wags called it "jazzisn't." probly wynton/stanley conservatives who coined it…
what would stanley think of this? it seems to be premised on the last pre-Wynton era that he approves of…but maybe by now, he's like "fuck youngsters, particularly them who play with those horrible rappers"
― veronica moser, Sunday, 4 October 2015 15:40 (eight years ago) link
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Sunday, October 4, 2015 12:26 AM (19 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
not sure how anyone with even the slightest understanding of jazz could call this "background music" of any kind, pleasant or otherwise, but I guess it takes all kinds
― Wimmels, Sunday, 4 October 2015 23:50 (eight years ago) link
1# this guy's book is far from written yet2# if you haven't seen him live I think there a lot you are missing3# he's not a great soloist yet but there is a lot of potential#4 it's OK to be excited that a jazz album is reaching out to regular folks!
― Ma$e-en-scène (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Sunday, 4 October 2015 23:56 (eight years ago) link
#4 otm x a million
― Wimmels, Monday, 5 October 2015 00:33 (eight years ago) link
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Saturday, October 3, 2015 11:26 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Saturday, October 3, 2015 11:28 PM (Yesterday)
yeah guys i dunno i played through some of this and it was just too boring to stick with, i had a hard time not hearing it in terms of kendrick's backing band and other recent LA-sound stuff that sometimes bums me out for its mushy studio muso-ness.
thomp otm iow
― j., Monday, 5 October 2015 00:45 (eight years ago) link
I've ignored this so far bc I assumed it was the latest iteration of spiritual hat jazz
― TheFatSJW (D-40), Monday, 5 October 2015 01:42 (eight years ago) link
"spiritual hat jazz"
― Wimmels, Monday, 5 October 2015 01:52 (eight years ago) link
What is it that is "reaching out to regular folks" other than its cool rapper friend marketing? Sincere question
― TheFatSJW (D-40), Monday, 5 October 2015 01:52 (eight years ago) link
― Wimmels, Sunday, October 4, 2015 8:52 PM (3 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
This is a ref to a jazz poll thread about rockist jazz history rewriting
― TheFatSJW (D-40), Monday, 5 October 2015 01:53 (eight years ago) link
Lamar isn't on the record. There are no hip-hop elements to the music at all. It's a big, sprawling spiritual jazz record in the vein of early '70s Pharoah Sanders. If seeing the name "Kendrick Lamar" in every other review and feature on Washington gets this record into the hands of the curious, where's the harm? And if some of those people wind up throwing it behind the couch after a single listen, that won't be a big surprise - plenty of people who took Thurston Moore's word about Sun Ra back in the '90s were disappointed, too. But a lot of them weren't. And I think a reasonable number of people who buy this record because Washington worked with the rapper everyone simply must give a fuck about this year (disclosure: I hate the sound of Kendrick Lamar's voice and haven't made it through either of his albums) are gonna wind up liking it. I know for sure that the audience at his NYC shows was substantially younger and less jazz-knowledgeable than any crowd I've ever seen in a jazz club, and they came away converted.
Every once in a while, people wake up to the idea that jazz is actually enjoyable music that you can listen to for pleasure. Right now, the focus is on Kamasi Washington. Good for him.
― the top man in the language department (誤訳侮辱), Monday, 5 October 2015 02:44 (eight years ago) link
i appreciate 誤訳侮辱 and ums's moderate takes itt
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Monday, 5 October 2015 02:47 (eight years ago) link
I've only listened to a couple of songs off of this so far, and frankly I'm not sure I'll ever listen to all of it, but it reminds me of an album I liked a few years back, Build an Ark Dawn, another LA-based soul-jazz project featuring New Age-y vocals.
― o. nate, Monday, 5 October 2015 03:21 (eight years ago) link
i'm actually somewhat relieved to read ph1l's take, i've enjoyed it a great deal but it seemed so pitched to a specific kind of jazz i love (that's not esp contemporary) that i couldn't gauge what blindspots i had w/ it (ie black crowes comparison above stung) so i'm glad that someone who i'd trust to call bullshit on this is saying 'this isn't bullshit'. i listen to maybe ten new jazz albums a year so when something goes down this easy and owes such a clear debt to a lot of albums i already loved and gets reviewed by alot of outlets that generally don't have time for contemporary jazz (note: this is NOT a request that pitchfork review more jazz) there's a part of me that nags 'you're gonna find this pretty embarrassing in a few years'. i LOVED wynton marsalis' blue interlude when i was a kid so i'm speaking from experience there.
― balls, Monday, 5 October 2015 03:30 (eight years ago) link
(note: this is NOT a request that pitchfork review more jazz)
lol
― insufficiently familiar with xgau's work to comment intelligently (BradNelson), Monday, 5 October 2015 03:34 (eight years ago) link
oh man
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Monday, 5 October 2015 04:36 (eight years ago) link
d-40 i had never looked at your performance on the jazz poll thread before. sterling work
― ♛ LIL UNIT ♛ (thomp), Monday, 5 October 2015 04:37 (eight years ago) link
New album due on June 22. Press release here: https://www.normanrecords.com/press/index.php?item_id=170512
― mike t-diva, Tuesday, 10 April 2018 13:24 (six years ago) link
Two tracks from the new one are up on Spotify:
"Fists of Fury": https://open.spotify.com/track/1Etl6q0mmPV60TtOCD0uch?si=kn0fPwi7TC2tls18gSjtVA
"The Space Travelers Lullaby": https://open.spotify.com/track/3C9Zbwm1AxCMFDqvyuBQQj?si=d-VPyu59QkuU0nYL7Jyo9Q
I've only listened to "Fists of Fury" so far (each track is ~10 minutes long) but have already pre-ordered the 2CD set.
― grawlix (unperson), Tuesday, 10 April 2018 13:48 (six years ago) link
holy shit @ "Fists of Fury"
― Simon H., Tuesday, 10 April 2018 13:52 (six years ago) link
https://img0.etsystatic.com/196/0/16650390/il_340x270.1469520110_18v6.jpg
― Brad C., Tuesday, 10 April 2018 14:27 (six years ago) link
oh yeah fist of fury is amazing, totally different from his usual mode (but retaining a lot of his favorite harmonies and melodic flourishes, of course)
― stormzy daniels (voodoo chili), Tuesday, 10 April 2018 20:36 (six years ago) link
This is so great, and I wasn't that much of a fan of the last one.
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 10 April 2018 20:50 (six years ago) link
Love the choirs & strings on these, really gives it that lost '70s artifact vibe (same for how low the drums are mixed, which I don't love but it works here)
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 10 April 2018 20:57 (six years ago) link
I reviewed the new album for Stereogum. (I forgot to mention that his dad was playing flute at the Forest Hills Stadium show on Friday night.)
― grawlix (unperson), Tuesday, 19 June 2018 18:51 (five years ago) link
Apparently the new album contains a hidden bonus disc, making it 3 CDs or 5 LPs. (The music on the bonus disc was not serviced to reviewers, so now I'm really excited for my pre-order to arrive.)
https://www.discogs.com/Kamasi-Washington-Heaven-And-Earth/release/12135022
― grawlix (unperson), Thursday, 21 June 2018 17:20 (five years ago) link
5 LPS??? dang
― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 21 June 2018 17:23 (five years ago) link
lmao it looks like they did it with the LP version too, requiring you to unearth it?!
― Simon H., Thursday, 21 June 2018 17:27 (five years ago) link
The CD packaging is bizarre. The third CD is hidden within the centre section of the gatefold. The only way to free it is to take the extreme tip of a very sharp knife, and slit along the perforations on one side or the other. The CD isn't protected in a slip case, there's just a square sheet of printed paper with it - so you have to take great care not to scratch it while trying to get hold of it. I managed this, but the central section of the gatefold does now look a bit battered. Conceptual.
― mike t-diva, Friday, 22 June 2018 16:59 (five years ago) link
It's not as bad as all that. I was able to pop the perforations with just my fingers, no knife, and the CD and one-sheet insert came out with no problems. Also, there's a peel-away adhesive strip inside that allows you to seal the packaging up again, making it into a narrow pocket for when you want to replace the third disc.
― grawlix (unperson), Friday, 22 June 2018 17:16 (five years ago) link
I've had a close look at the (£43) vinyl sleeve and I can't see a dashiki under the space suit. No credibility.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Tuesday, 26 June 2018 07:10 (five years ago) link
Is it me or is Heaven & Earth miles better than the older stuff, this shit is awesome
― imago, Wednesday, 2 January 2019 21:22 (five years ago) link
It's great but I don't see it as superior to his other stuff. I like Harmony of Difference the most of all his stuff.
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 2 January 2019 21:24 (five years ago) link
yeah me neither, this and the Epic feel v similar and of a piece
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 2 January 2019 21:27 (five years ago) link
I think there's definitely been improvement from record to record. The arrangements are better on the new record, and the synths are proggier and weirder, which is a plus as far as I'm concerned.
― grawlix (unperson), Wednesday, 2 January 2019 21:43 (five years ago) link
I think that's it tbh
― imago, Wednesday, 2 January 2019 23:05 (five years ago) link
it has a certain zeul-ish-ness for sure
― reggie (qualmsley), Thursday, 3 January 2019 00:15 (five years ago) link
I felt like it had that fusion-y vibe of the 70s, which I liked.
― Oor Neechy, Thursday, 3 January 2019 15:27 (five years ago) link
new album coming may 3rd, "prologue" out now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8cKN1rbJl4
― the defenestration of prog (voodoo chili), Wednesday, 6 March 2024 15:52 (one month ago) link
Digging both the new songs quite a bit, actually. Can't wait for the full thing.
It's not streaming on Bandcamp yet, but "The Garden Path" from this is also on Spotify (and presumably other services, though I haven't checked).
― Maxmillion D. Boosted (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 7 March 2024 15:08 (one month ago) link
I haven't listened to the whole thing yet (busy, busy, busy) but I was sent a promo stream. It's a 2CD set, about 82 minutes of music, I think? I've pre-ordered the physical version.
― Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Thursday, 7 March 2024 15:16 (one month ago) link
I'm assuming his tour will expand eventually, he definitely owes Raleigh a show, I had tickets to see him in 2022 (or maybe it was last year?) and he canceled the date.
― Evans on Hammond (evol j), Thursday, 7 March 2024 20:36 (one month ago) link
I do respect how hard that tune goes in our time of ambient jazz.
― Jordan s/t (Jordan), Thursday, 7 March 2024 21:08 (one month ago) link