A seminal, trailblazing figure in the modern jazz scene, bridging a traditional, technical foundation with contemporary influence and flourish, saxophonist Kamasi Washington emerged as one of the most exciting new artists jazz has seen in years with his phenomenal, captivating 2015 effort The Epic (forged after years of collaborating with too many impressive names to count). With this year’s followup, Heaven and Earth, the acclaimed performer and frequent Kendrick Lamar collaborator has once again crafted a stunning, sprawling, and genre-bending masterpiece, which, like all of Washington’s work, should best be experienced live. Fortunately, you can do just that, when Kamasi returns to Nashville tonight, Nov. 16 to headline Marathon Music Works, along genre-bending Virginia jazz outfit Butcher Brown. Tickets to this highly-anticipated show are still available here, so grab yours now and read on for more!
KAMASI WASHINGTON
Los Angeles raised jazz saxophonist, composer, producer, and bandleader Kamasi Washington has become a torchbearer for progressive, improvisational, and genre-bending in jazz in recent years, igniting a huge wave of interest and attracting legions of young fans with his forward-thinking, hip hop, r&b, and classical infused take on the genre. After studying at UCLA’s Department of Ethnomusicology under greats like Kenny Burrell, Billy Higgins, and Gerald Wilson, Kamasi appeared on Young Jazz Giants in 2004 and Gearld Wilson Orchestra’s big band release In My Time in 2006 (along with many subsequent efforts), and quickly