Photo by Gabriel C. Pérez/KUTX
In 2015, saxophonist and bandleader Kamasi Washington became a jazz hero for a new generation. His album The Epic is a must-hear, a jazz suite that’s classically-minded but with its feet firmly marching towards the future.
Washington is the product of a particularly vibrant and genre-agnostic L.A. music scene. He’s helped bridge arbitrary divides between the jazz and electronic music worlds, collaborating with like-minded futurists Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Thundercat, and more. Last week, Soundfounder sat down with Washington to talk about his ability to transcend genre, working on Kendrick Lamar’s groundbreaking album To Pimp A Butterfly, and his world-class Street Fighter skills.
