Yeah this is a little closer to the live show, loving it
― chr1sb3singer, Friday, 29 September 2017 15:05 (six years ago) link
This did not get a happy review in the Graun: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/sep/28/kamasi-washington-harmony-of-difference-review
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 29 September 2017 15:28 (six years ago) link
I like the EP a lot; the short songs have a strong CTI/early '70s vibe to me - Hank Crawford, Stanley Turrentine, the good early Grover Washington Jr. albums, like that.
― grawlix (unperson), Friday, 29 September 2017 16:04 (six years ago) link
a series of vapid Kenny G numbers.
WRT to the Guardian piece, there should be a Godwin's Law for bringing up Kenny G in a jazz review IMO
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 29 September 2017 17:17 (six years ago) link
like the minute you bring up Kenny G, it's a failure of writing and failure to really engage with anything or think about it, it's just an easy line
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 29 September 2017 17:18 (six years ago) link
otm
― tylerw, Friday, 29 September 2017 18:14 (six years ago) link
unperson: otm wrt those 70s CTI records
― chr1sb3singer, Friday, 29 September 2017 18:37 (six years ago) link
man for a spiritual hat thread this got kind of fighty
I still like The Epic but have already played Harmony of Difference more often ... I'm really looking forward to seeing him tonight
― Brad C., Wednesday, 6 December 2017 18:14 (six years ago) link
You won't be disappointed. I've seen him twice, and both shows were A++.
― mike t-diva, Thursday, 7 December 2017 09:51 (six years ago) link
Live he is so greatI'm totally with you on the newIn so many ways it just feels like a fat free distillation of what I liked about the Epic, and I think the production/engineering is way better
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 7 December 2017 13:30 (six years ago) link
yes, mix is much clearer!
― niels, Thursday, 7 December 2017 13:33 (six years ago) link
They were excellent, of course -- with seven players + one vocalist, their sound wasn't quite as dense as on the albums, but it was hotter, funkier, and louder than I expected ... Patrice Quinn is a force of nature
― Brad C., Thursday, 7 December 2017 15:48 (six years ago) link
i still haven’t unwrapped my copy of “the epic”
i’m just always like ... three hours??
― the late great, Thursday, 7 December 2017 16:25 (six years ago) link
did they still have these guys?
both drummers, the one who looked like the weeknd and the older dude who looked like he should run a pizza by the slice place in Queens
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 7 December 2017 17:36 (six years ago) link
I think I never checked out this year's album because I'm still digesting The Epic but, yeah, live show was fantastic.
― No purposes. Sounds. (Sund4r), Thursday, 7 December 2017 18:19 (six years ago) link
the two drummers last night were Robert Miller and Ronald Bruner Jr. ... Kamasi introduced them with lengthy, funny stories about how he'd met the former in kindergarten and the latter at a third-grade birthday party
Kamasi's father Rickey Washington played on most numbers and had one soprano sax solo that really fired up the crowd
the warm family vibe was pretty amazing
― Brad C., Thursday, 7 December 2017 18:46 (six years ago) link
yeah his dad was selling t-shirts at the show i was at, then jumped up on stage and played for some songs
― Universal LULU Nation (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Thursday, 7 December 2017 18:50 (six years ago) link
I loved the live show I saw but was sad that the vocalist for some reason had been turned down to background levels during the last big song
― FREEZE! FYI! (dog latin), Thursday, 7 December 2017 20:03 (six years ago) link
I was such an epic dumbass on this threadWas posting at a bar iirc
― brimstead, Thursday, 7 December 2017 20:38 (six years ago) link
I'm not a Kamasi believer. Everything is exactly in the right place but I just don't get the jouissance from it. And I wonder if that 'exactly' is the point: it's too on the money, inhabiting all the right forms without the content. Truth feels like a lesson in how to make an epic: 13-minutes of telling, not showing. Maybe seeing them live is the key. But I think even then the dashikis would make me grumpy.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Thursday, 7 December 2017 21:00 (six years ago) link
I know that's hardly an original take and who gives a shit anyway but it's that thing when you know everything's lined up for you to love something and for some reason it leaves you blank and that's what intrigues me.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Thursday, 7 December 2017 21:04 (six years ago) link
how much of the silence over the new ep is cos its not on ninjatune. suspect most people throwing love at EPIC got to hear it via their digital mailing list ? i have had nothing in my inbox re the new ep at all.
― mark e, Thursday, 7 December 2017 21:09 (six years ago) link
it would be harder to market, no element of surprise, it's not 3 hours long, the cover is poor imo
but "Truth" is a great jam
― niels, Friday, 8 December 2017 07:26 (six years ago) link
Agree with everything Chinaski said.
― Hey Bob (Scik Mouthy), Friday, 8 December 2017 07:37 (six years ago) link
Surprised by that Guardian review, I must admit: I think it's the only bad review for a contemporary jazz release I've ever seen them publish. They review one a week, after all.
― mahb, Friday, 8 December 2017 09:20 (six years ago) link
I agree with Chinaski too but somehow Kamasi works as jazz junk food to me. Nowhere near as fulfilling as the jazzers of old but somehow not unpleasant to puton now and then
― FREEZE! FYI! (dog latin), Friday, 8 December 2017 09:42 (six 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