Ideological Idolatry
He started working up to the role of a jazz giant alongside Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock. His sheer, unadulterated power could be the envy of his collaborators, the macho rappers Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar. But Kamasi Washington’s label of messiah of new jazz is not simply due to vanity. The artist still lives in the industrial city of Inglewood in Los Angeles County, in the same house where he grew up practicing saxophone for 12 hours a day. The walls of his garage studio are covered with posters of his own idols – and if he has styled himself as an idol, it’s because he wants to inspire others. He dreams of music which is a weapon in the fight for civil rights, hence his involvement with the Black Lives Matter campaign. His breakthrough album The Epic was followed by Harmony of Difference, based around the idea that equality should be celebrated, not just tolerated. Washington is no saviour, but his intertwining of genres, phenomenal technique and dedication to human rights are nothing short of miraculous.
Igor Kuranda, Karnet magazine
