Kamasi Washington at O2 Academy Brixton, April 13th 2025

A modern maestro Kamasi Washington left many in the jazz world speechless when he released his 3-disc debut solo album The Epic in 2015. Its 12-minute opener 'Change Of The Guard' was an epic in itself, meandering cosmically between a smoky jazz bar shuffle and cacophonic chaos. Other tracks such as 'The Rhythm Changes', 'Cherokee' and a cover of 'Clair De Lune' revealed that Washington and his band weren't always such a heady and esoteric affair, instead leaning into exquisite melodies and indulgent grooves. Above all, The Epic announced Washington as one of jazz music's most exciting and gifted bandleaders and saxophonists. A graduate of the Academy of Music of Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles, before following his own path in earnest Washington had played for and recorded with artists including Gerard Wilson, Thundercat and Kendrick Lamar. After the release of The Epic, the musician began touring more internationally, and by 2018 the album's follow-up was highly anticipated. Heaven and Earth was deemed "writhingly alive and passionate, angrily of the moment but inclusive" in a review by The Guardian, in which the writer acknowledged Washington's influence in the recent jazz revival. 'Street Fighter Kas' and 'Fists of Fury' were particular hits. That same year Washington released the EP The Choice. In 2020 Washington teamed up with fellow Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin and 9th Wonder as Dinner Party, released their self-titled EP to critical acclaim. [Taken from Ticketmaster]