Review: Greg Phillips. Photos: Jason Rosewarne.
It’s been three years since acclaimed American multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader and neo-jazz icon Kamasi Washington had been in our country. Australian Musician last witnessed his genius as support act for Texan trio Khruangbin at the Music Bowl in the summer of 2022. This time the Kamasi Washington band enjoyed headline status and eager fans looked forward to an extended set on his Fearless Movement tour.
As the imposing 8 piece band took their positions on the Palais Theatre stage, it was clear that we were in for a wild ride. Look up any of the musicians on stage and you’ll find impressive resumes. Last night we were honoured to host Ryan Porter (trombone), Tony Austiin (drums), Miles Mosley (bass), Brandon Coleman (keyboards), Patrice Quinn (vocals), DJ Battlecat (decks and percussion), Ricky Washington, Kamasi’s father on alto sax and of course Kamasi on tenor sax and keyboards.
Opening with ‘Lesanu’, track one from the Fearless Movement album, the band kicked into gear immediately, showcasing their considerable musical chops and feel, with each member contributing their individual brilliance to the communal mix. The three piece brass section of Ricky on alto sax, Ryan on trombone and Kamasi on tenor sax stepping forward combined for a powerful force.
After taking a moment to receive the enthusiastic applause, Kamasi told us that the song was inspired by a friend who was no longer with us and he asked that we “take a moment to give thanks for the existence of music. Music is one of our great, great tools. It allows us to connect with one another, allows us to share our thoughts, our experiences, our feelings.”
Kamasi then introduced the next tune ‘Asha the First’, telling us it was co-written with his daughter, who gets up at 7am every morning and plays her piano. He told us that Asha eventually graduated from playing unconnected notes to eventually stringing a few notes together. Out of those notes (which he demonstrated for us) Kamasi wrote this song. Kamasi and band then took those simple notes as a base to launch into a beautifully complex piece featuring his father and Asha’s grandfather Ricky Washington on alto sax. The song also highlighted DJ Battlecat’s extraordinary scratchin’ skills, creating some otherworldly sounds from snippets of vinyl.
Continuing with his Fearless Movement material, Kamasi welcomed Patrice Quinn to the spotlight as vocalist on the gorgeous, dreamy ballad ‘Together’, a song written by trombonist Ryan Porter which celebrates companionship and being there for people in their ups and downs. The trombone solo laid down by Porter was sublime, reaching deep into our souls.
Anime legend Shinichirō Watanabe has been a hero to Washington since he first watched his animations as a kid. As Kamasi tells us, it was a thrill to be asked to work with Watanabe, creating the soundtrack to his latest venture ‘Lazarus’, the Adult Swim Original Series. With that the band burst into the album’s epic leading track ‘Vortex’. This band in full flight is something to behold. It was intriguing to watch Porter standing just behind Washington. He listened hard, waited for his moment and then slid up alongside Kamasi, utilising the great man’s sonic slipstream to deliver even more colour to the magnificent musical canvas.
‘Sageness’, another track from the Lazrus soundtrack, brought the mood down a peg allowing Miles Mosley to lay his divine, ruminative bass notes upon us. Meanwhile, Brandon Coleman on keys sprinkled his rhodes piano sounds on top of the exquisite fare as Patrice’s soulful voice reached into our hearts.
A haunting synth flourish was joined by Tony Austin’s driving drum beat as the drama built on Prologue from the Fearless Movement album. The brass then entered as the momentum stretched even further. Vocals merged, adding more gravitas to the piece as Kamasi abruptly motioned for it all to halt, leaving just a simple drum beat as he called on Miles Mosley to solo. As demonstrated earlier, Mosley’s fretboard skills on the upright bass are next level. From velvety note bends, he progressed to an incredible use of harmonics then out of the blue picked up a bow and went full on Hendrix upon us. Suddenly the imposing double bass became so malleable and he was able to conjure such supernatural sounds that mere mortals could only summon from an electric guitar. Austin then egged him on further, increasing the tempo, leaving us all dumbfounded. Kamasi subsequently invited Austin to a solo spot. Surely he’s the most chilled looking drummer I’ve seen. Lounging back on his drum stool wearing sunglasses, he’s seemingly not exerting any energy at all yet produces the most intricate and driving beats. The full band returned to complete an astonishing presentation, surely the highlight of the night.
Washington certainly knows a thing about show dynamics and brought the mood down a notch with a heartfelt performance of the beautiful Re-Run from his 2015 album The Epic. Forever the bandleader and being in the moment, Kamasi saw Ryan Porter turn to take a restful seat and surprised him by introducing an impromptu trombone spot. Porter stopped in his tracks, returned to mic and proceeded to blow our minds with his brass mastery. DJ Battlecat then kicked into his unique sonic zone, creating fun and interesting sounds. You could never categorise this music as simply jazz, it an urban mix of R’n’B, blues, hip hop, soul and all roads in between. It’s music of the American streets, busy and chaotic yet joyous and beautiful at the same time.
Finishing up with Ghetto Life, the Rick James song, Kamasi introduced and showcased each band member as he had done all night. In the end however, it was he who came to the mic to take the spotlight for one last extraordinary blast, proving that he’s truly the overlord of this musical troupe. His control of the sax and his lung capacity to deliver pulsating notes for an extended period of time demonstrated that we were in the presence of greatness. As he left the stage, Kamasi vowed to return to Australia soon. Let’s keep him to that!
SET LIST:
Lesanu
Asha the First
Together
Vortex
Sageness
Prologue
Re Run
Vi lua vi sol
Ghetto Life
BAND:
Kamasi Washington – tenor sax and keyboards
Tony Austin – drums
Miles Mosley -bass
Ricky Washington – Alto sax
Patrice Quinn – vocals
Brandon Coleman -keyboards
DJ Battlecat LA hip hop producer
Ryan Porter – Trombone