Kamasi Washington: A brief biography of the 21st-century jazz giant
Get to know the epic saxophonist and composer
Last updated 11th Aug 2020
LA-based saxophonist and composer Kamasi Washington has swiftly become a household name within the jazz world, becoming a torchbearer and figurehead for the contemporary scene. Why not find out a little more about his life and work?
When was Kamasi Washington born?
Born in 1981, Kamasi Washington is from Los Angeles, California.
When did Kamasi Washington start playing saxophone?
Remarkably, Kamasi Washington didn't start playing saxophone until the age of 13. However, he had been playing other instruments before, as well as having the inspiration of his jazz musician father Rickey Washington to help inspire him from early on.
How did Kamasi Washington become famous?
After picking up the saxophone, Kamasi Washington quickly became a rising star in his native California.
Whilst he was still at university - studying Ethnomusicology at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) - he recorded a self-titled album withYoung Jazz Giants, a jazz quartet record which also featured Thundercat (Stephen Bruner), Ronald Bruner Jr and Cameron Graves- released in 2004.
Kamasi Washington 'The Epic' and 'To Pimp a Butterfly'
Despite releasing several self-released albums - The Proclamation (2007) and Light of the World (2008) - it wasn't until he released his groundbreaking album The Epic (2015) that Kamasi stood on centre stage within the jazz and music world alike. Standing at nearly 3 hours long, Kamasi's album The Epic - his Brainfeeder Records debut - features long sweeping solos, a string orchestra paired with a full choir - it truly is a triumphant modern masterpiece.
Not only was 2015 the year which Kamasi released The Epic, but it was also the year he leant his horn and contributed to rap-sensation Kendrick Lamar's most highly-related album To Pimp a Butterfly.
Kamasi Washington new music
On the 3rd July 2020 Kamasi dropped Dinner Party, a self-titled supergroup release from Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, Robert Glasper and 9th Wonder.
Did Kamasi Washington write the soundtrack for the Michelle Obama 'Becoming' documentary?
Yes he did! The 15-track album accompanies the documentary of Michelle Obama's tour supporting her global best selling book, Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice.
In a 2020 interview with Rolling Stone, Washington revealed he was approached about writing the score by the film’s director, Nadia Hallgren. He said, “I always thought Michelle Obama was an amazing person when I would watch her interviews,” he recalls, “but the chance to hear her talking about her way of thinking about life — and saying what’s important and not — was really cool, so I was definitely interested in doing it."
You can hear him talking about his work on the album here:
Is Kamasi Washington on tour?
Sadly there are no tour dates at the moment, but we'll bring you the tour news when we have it.