Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I am a 71 year old old-school jazz head who, as befitting my times, was exposed to all kinds of music and have embraced most genres for what they are. I remember running to the record store to spend my last money on the latest albums (mono of course, I couldn't justify paying extra for stereo) by Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, etc.. I sang doo-wop in the subway - for the natural reverb - with my boys. I also played a little trumpet before I hit the wall and my third decade, so I'm no pushover for music. So when I say that Kamasi Washington's The Epic is the most refreshing new jazz sound I have heard in years, don't sleep on me. This is a very ambitious project. If you shoot for the stars you might hit the moon. This effort, at least, knocks it out of the solar system. Some fusion elements are here. Kamasi Washington has clearly heard and re-purposed Pat Metheny's modal progressions on The Next Step and has harnessed the ethos of early-electric Miles Davis in Seven Prayers but the heavy lifting was channeled into Re Run (and Re Run Home). Here a simple bass line defines the composition in a way that reminds me of R&B hits like All Night Long (Mary Jane Girls), Risin' To The Top (Keni Burke) and Ascension (Maxwell). Well played, Kamasi! First listening is a head-turner. The album starts off strong and never lets up (OK, disc three doesn't keep pace). Repeated listenings reveal some limitations but on the whole, this album stands up well under scrutiny. Kamasi Washington clearly loves Patrice Quinn's vocalizations, for example, but her voice and stylings left me in the freezer. For me, that is not enough to downgrade this set. There is enough music here to overcome what I see as a deficiency. What downgrades this set one star is that there is too much music here and a certain sameness sets in despite the variety offerred. Kamasi Washington is not a great improvisor although it is clear that he has command over his instrument. When his playing points toward free-jazz, he never really breaks through to the other side. When playing inside, his eights patterns are rigid and lack the fluidity that is essential for nuanced expression. You can say that he's young but Lee Morgan, Tony Williams broke in fully-formed as teenagers and Bird was dead at 35. That said, Washington has command of the music and that is more important. He knows the sound he wants and he gets it. His sidemen are more than competent and I give special kudos to the brass voices, Ryan Porter and Igmar Thomas. Jazz appears to be alive and well in L.A. It is not likely that Kamasi Washington or his horn mates will ever play in bands with his jazz contemporaries so a bit of seasoning is not in the offing (Miles, 'Trane & Wayne were long-term sidemen). Like Horace Tapscott, he seems content to surround himself with a local coterie of musician/friends and that could impede his musical exposure and development. Here's hoping that we will hear some growth in his conception and in his playing in future releases because he has certainly opened eyes with this debut. If you love jazz and are disappointed in the music that is put out by Berklee School graduates, you MUST give Kamasi Washington a listen.