Kamasi Washington
10th October 2019
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Molly O’Brien. Photography by Connor Crawford.
An ethereal effigy of jazz materialised upon the stage of the Powerstation, a fog of gospel like power and community falling upon the crowd like a royal cloak. Kamasi Washington epitomises class, talent and mastery, garnished with a fistful of jewels and a quintessential ornate cane.
Hailing from ‘the hood’ in Inglewood, California, (a neighbourhood that birthed many incredible musicians such as SiR and Jason Aalon Butler of letlive. and FEVER 333), Kamasi was raised in a household of music, beginning his professional career almost 20 years ago with a passion ignited and nursed by his father Rickey Washington, who graced tonight’s performance along with his son.
With a catalogue from collaborating with acts such as Kendrick Lamar to orchestral performances, Kamasi’s solo projects ooze with experience and grace – injecting zero gravity into all those within ear shot. With his 2015 debut album ‘The Epic’ reaching a few minutes short of three hours no stone is left unturned in an improvisational whirlwind of melody marriage and metaphysical mirage. Described by the Guardian as ‘the figurehead of the new jazz revival’, Kamasi and his band The Next Step introduce a popping flavour of funk and hip hop to the genre; each an extension of their instrument, rotating into the spotlight like a sushi train of brilliance.
Opening with famed track ‘Street Fighter Mas’, all of us listeners were plunged into wonder, moments littered throughout the performance in which the only sound that dared to challenge the band was quiet clinks of glass behind the bar. Vocalist Patrice Quinn sung a thousand suns into a whisper; Miles Mosley made a double bass perform with methods unknown. Proving their fusion with a captivating rendition of ‘Truth’, (‘Harmony of Difference’, 2017), the band delivered five different melodies in unison – written as a metaphor to describe the unity the world can find within a contrasting populous. All these musicians are stars alone, but a bedazzling galaxy together.
Soft spoken and soulful, Kamasi Washington went on to reminisce about how his path intertwined with his two drummers Ronald Bruner Jr and Robert Miller, both childhood friends who came before the knowledge of tying shoelaces. Combined with the gift of Rickey Washington’s presence to pepper flute and clarinet upon the array, the room became family for the evening, a love for and belief in music becoming thicker than blood.
Kamasi Washington and The Next Step created a biblical experience one needs to see to believe, an all-inclusive crowd linked by music of epic proportions. Kamasi best described the atmosphere himself:
“I love you. I don’t need to know you to love you. I don’t need to think like you, believe like you; but I love you. You are beautiful and so are we. Biodiversity on this planet is something to celebrate.”
Were you there at the Powerstation for this magnificent contemporary jazz gig? Or have you seen Kamasi Washington perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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