Kamasi Washington Sounds Right at Home at the Beacon Theatre
October 22, 2021
Kamasi Washington Sounds Right at Home at the Beacon Theatre
Kamasi Washington – Beacon Theatre – October 22, 2021
Kamasi Washington, the Los Angeles saxophonist, has a knack for making community. On Friday, over the course of a characteristically transportive and heart-pumping seven-song set at the Beacon Theatre, Washington not only spoke of the importance of coming together through music, but he acted it. His band, which Washington said, “started 37 years ago,” features childhood friends, mentors and influences, and his father, Rickey Washington, a former session player and producer in his own right. In the set’s penultimate song, “Re Run,” off of 2015’s The Epic, the younger Washington even paid it forward, bringing to the stage two teenage saxophonists, who each soloed to standing ovations and a roaring crowd.
Washington is an exceptional talent who has made his name as a stand-alone jazz musician and composer on albums like The Epic and, more recently, Heaven and Earth (2018). But his star rose higher after collaborations with industry heavyweights like Kendrick Lamar and Flying Lotus, among others. Washington’s playing on Friday was a feat to behold—he’s an improviser extraordinaire but he’s also a careful arranger of deeply layered, introspective and climactic songs. His band, too, is incredibly skilled, with notable collaborations of their own. On Friday they moved nimbly from ascendant and dreamy licks on songs like “Announcement” and “Truth” to explosive rock on their cover of Metallica’s “My Friend of Misery,” recorded for The Metallica Blacklist, a 53-track tribute album released this year.
Ben Williams’ bass solo stunned on the opener to “Sun-Kissed Child,” a song Washington composed for his baby daughter. Ronald Bruner Jr.—who, according to Kamasi, bested him at drums at just 1.5 years old (Kamasi was 3)—was in absolute command throughout the performance. Patrice Quinn’s vocals were transfixing, elegant and grounding, and I feel confident saying there is no way Ryan Porter’s trombone has ever not sounded good. The show ended with “Fists of Fury,” the first track off Heaven and Earth and a song that moves resolutely and powerfully toward its message: “Our time as victims is over,” Quinn spoke. “We will no longer ask for justice / Instead we will take our retribution.” Yes, community is key to Washington, but he is clear it is nothing without action. —Rachel Brody | @RachelCBrody
Photo courtesy of Maggie V. Miles | www.maggievmiles.com