One year ago, Kamasi Washington was a session sax man who was enjoying the reflected glow of the spotlight shone on his pal and collaborator, Kendrick Lamar. On May 5, though, Washington would release The Epic, his triple-LP debut. The jazz journey, which finds Washington leading his band from spiritual jazz to straight gospel and back, elevated its composer and inarguably raised the public profile of jazz to a level it hadn’t enjoyed in decades. When it was announced last month that Washington was the winner of the first-ever American Music Prize, selected from a list of exceptional artists who made their debut in 2015, it seemed like the cap on an exceptional run for the LA native.
Washington brought his eight-piece band (including his father, Rickey, a fellow saxophonist) to Pickathon for their first-ever festival appearance last July, airing out his wide-open sound on the Mountain Stage in the early evening. For their set much later that night in the Galaxy Barn, however, the group shifted the beat, expanding on the grooves latent in The Epic to deliver an outrageously funky set. Today, we’re pleased to be premiering that night’s closer, “The Magnificent 7.” It’s the second episode of the Galaxy Barn Series, from Pickathon’s Spring Season. You can check it out below, then make your appointment with Dr. Boogie.
You can watch more videos from the Galaxy Barn Series here.
