Kamasi Washington - Heaven And Earth (4LP)

Saxophonist Kamasi Washington's Sophomore Album On Vinyl 4LP

Heavy Grooves, Powerful Solos & Cosmic Jazz Influences

 
Kamasi Washington's sophomore album Heaven and Earth not only fulfills its overarching ambition, but illustrates the dialectic between seen and unseen, real and imagined, citizen and culture, self and self, as well as self and other, and does so through the lens of a mature but never jaded revolutionary consciousness. The artist's own words best convey the inspiration behind this monolith of an album: "The world that my mind lives in, lives in my mind. This idea inspired me to make this album Heaven and Earth. The reality we experience is a mere creation of our consciousness, but our consciousness creates this reality based on those very same experiences. We are simultaneously the creators of our personal universe and creations of our personal universe. The Earth side of this album represents the world as I see it outwardly, the world that I am a part of. The Heaven side of this album represents the world as I see it inwardly, the world that is a part of me. Who I am and the choices I make lie somewhere in between."

Washington recorded Heaven and Earth with his band, the Next Step, as well as members of the Los Angeles collective known as the West Coast Get Down. The project's contributors include Thundercat, Terrace Martin, Ronald Bruner, Jr., Cameron Graves, Brandon Coleman, Miles Mosley, Patrice Quinn and Tony Austin. Along with Washington's take on the Fists Of Fury theme, Heaven and Earth also features his new arrangement of Freddie Hubbard's "Hubtones" and a new song by bandmate Ryan Porter.

"Kamasi Washington expounds more on wax solely through instrumentation than many artists can do with an entire discography of lyrics. Some have had the privilege of knowing this since his early days in the Shack with the West Coast Get Down crew in Inglewood and at The World Stage in Leimert Park, Los Angeles. Since then he's continually reinvented himself and the jazz landscape, improving on previous versions but not completely leaving them behind. That is exactly what Heaven And Earth is — a fusion of the long, sprawling, big-band suites of 2015's The Epic and the exquisite counterpoint clinic that is 2017's Harmony Of Difference that makes something altogether different and extraordinary. Washington has been considered a leader of the West Coast jazz revival for a few years now, but this album should rightfully put him on god status. It's very fitting that it's called Heaven And Earth." - Stereogum, The 50 Best Albums Of 2018 So Far

"The follow up to his all-conquering 2015 triple album, The Epic, the double album once again features the saxophonist's distinctive mix of heavy grooves, powerful solos and cosmic jazz influences, including strings and choir, with his West Coast Get Down band in full-voice throughout its 16 tracks." - Jazzwise

"Lavish, portentous, aware of its political significance, Heaven and Earth also swings like crazy, and the seriousness of the endeavor never detracts from the warm-hearted way in which Washington reframes jazz history for both neophytes and connoisseurs" - Mojo

"Heaven and Earth is more a refinement of the ideas expressed on The Epic than an entirely new paradigm. There is less wandering, more focus, more inquiry and directed movement, as well as an abundance of colorful tonal and harmonic contrasts. More than anything else, it establishes Washington as a composer and arranger of dizzying potential and still underscores his twin rep as a soloist and jazz conceptualist." - AllMusic



Features
• 4LP Set
• Over 2.5 hours worth of music across 4 vinyl records
• Housed within a bespoke double gatefold sleeve

Track Listing:

Earth
LP 1
Side A:
1. Fists Of Fury
2. Can You Hear Him

Side B:
1. Hub-Tones
2. Connections

LP 2
Side A:
1. Tiffakonkae
2. The Invincible Youth

Side B:
1. Testify
2. One Of One

Heaven
LP 3
Side A:
1. The Space Travelers Lullaby
2. Vi Lua Vi Sol

Side B:
1. Street Fighter Mas
2. Song For The Fallen

LP 4
Side A:
1. Journey
2. The Psalmnist

Side B:
1. Show Us The Way
2. Will You Sing