KAMASI WASHINGTON – FEARLESS MOVEMENT (2024)

I have Washington’s “The Epic” on vinyl and “Heaven and Earth” on CD already in my collection. While they could legitimately be described as musical marathons, they show Washington and his band’s genius for playing jazz for the modern era, and the saxophonist’s gifts for arranging. Here he also incorporates P-funk, Hip-hop and Rap more extensively into his music, and George Clinton makes a cameo vocal appearance on the Parliament-stylised funk of ‘Get Lit’.

But, to me, most of the first album, especially a 9-minute plus version of Zapp’s ‘Computer Love’ (not a good enough vehicle for Patrice Quinn’s voice, so important to key pieces on Kamasi’s previous albums) does not sit naturally within Washington’s DNA and the best moments occur on the second album with a coherent sequence of four tracks beginning with ‘The Garden Path’ and concluding with ‘Prologue’. I also enjoyed the jousts between Washington’s sax and Brendan Coleman’s piano on opener ‘Lesanu’, and also Thundercat’s contributions to ‘Asha the First’ which he co-composed, with song strong soloing, including a rather wayward synth break over a strong melody.

Sure, the somewhat overwrought use of massed choirs is toned down, and this record is less likely to cause listener fatigue, but I do hope that Washington doesn’t take so many detours from his true roots on the next one.