Forge Brief

Kamasi Washington

2004-present; commercial peak 2015-present (The Epic, Heaven and Earth, Fearless Movement)

Spiritual-jazz revivalism — Coltrane + Pharoah Sanders + Sun Ra reborn for the 2010s-2020s with Kendrick Lamar collaboration foundation.

Forge a Kamasi Washington-inspired song How we score

Genres

jazzspiritual jazzjazz fusionavant-jazz

Vocal character

Kamasi Washington: mostly-instrumental (tenor-saxophone-led) — when vocals appear they are collaboration-features (Patrice Quinn, Dwight Trible). Kamasi himself plays saxophone.

Production markers

Kamasi Washington self-productionspiritual-jazz + jazz-fusion + avant-jazz foundation (tenor-saxophone-led with full-band + choir + orchestra)Coltrane + Pharoah Sanders spiritual-jazz lineageBrainfeeder / Young Turks sonicvisual identity around West-Coast-Get-Down jazz-collective foundation (Thundercat, Cameron Graves, Ronald Bruner Jr., Stephen Bruner adjacent)collaboration with Kendrick Lamar (To Pimp a Butterfly Mortal Man, Lalah Hathaway) + Snoop Dogg + Lauryn Hillextended 10-25 minute song lengths

Lyrical themes

mostly instrumental — spiritual-jazz tradition + Black American identity carry the messagecosmic and spiritual ascent (The Epic, Heaven and Earth as titles)jazz as resistance, as ritual, as churchthe West-Coast-Get-Down collective as community statement

Signature moves

tenor-saxophone-led full-band + choir + orchestra arrangementextended 10-25 minute song lengthsWest-Coast-Get-Down jazz-collective collaborationcollaboration with Kendrick Lamar + Snoop Dogg + hip-hop roster

Avoid — off-brand for this artist

auto-tuneEDM-drop maximalismmodern-pop-radio compressionpop-crossover song structuresub-5-minute song discipline

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