The Epic (album)

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The Epic
Kamasi Washington The Epic.jpg
Studio album by Kamasi Washington
Released May 5, 2015 (2015-05-05)
Studio Kingsize Soundlabs
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre Jazz
Length 173:36
Label Brainfeeder
Producer Kamasi Washington
Kamasi Washington chronology
Light of The World
(2008)Light of The World2008		 The Epic
(2015)
Singles from The Epic
  1. "Re Run Home"
    Released: March 10, 2015
  2. "Miss Understanding"
    Released: April 8, 2015

The Epic is the debut studio album by American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington. It was released on May 5, 2015, through the Brainfeeder record label.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 83/100[1]
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[2]
Drowned in Sound B[3]
The Guardian 4/5 stars[4]
Pitchfork 8.6/10[5]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[6]

Upon its release, The Epic received rave reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 83, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 6 reviews.[1] AllMusic critic Thom Jurek described the album as "21st century jazz as accessible as it is virtuosic -- feel matters to Washington," and further wrote: "Holistic in breadth and deep in vision, it provides a way into this music for many, and challenges the cultural conversation about jazz without compromising or pandering."[2] Russell Warfield of Drowned in Sound described the album as "wonderful stuff," further stating that the record "deserves a high score by any standards of evaluation."[3]

The Guardian critic John Fordham, who was positive in his assessment of the album, wrote: "Only a shortage of thematic surprises – given its extravagant length – keeps it from being quite the seismically jazz-changing departure that some admirers are claiming."[4] Seth Colter Walls of Pitchfork awarded the album with "Best New Music" tag, stating: "The Epic actually makes good on its titular promise without bothering to make even a faint-hearted stab in the direction of fulfilling its pre-release hype."[5]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank
The Guardian The Best Albums of 2015 2015
8[7]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2015 2015
10[8]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2015 2015
7[9]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2015 2015
35[10]

Track listing

CD

All songs written and composed by Kamasi Washington, except where noted. 

Volume 1: The Plan
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Change of the Guard"     12:15
2. "Askim"     12:34
3. "Isabelle"     12:12
4. "Final Thought"     6:31
5. "The Next Step"     14:48
6. "The Rhythm Changes"  
  • Patrice Quinn
  • Kamasi Washington
 7:45
Total length:
 66:05
Volume 2: The Glorious Tale
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Miss Understanding"     8:46
2. "Leroy and Lanisha"     9:24
3. "Re Run"     8:19
4. "Seven Prayers"     7:35
5. "Henrietta Our Hero"  
  • Quinn
  • Washington
 7:13
6. "The Magnificent 7"     12:48
Total length:
 54:05
Volume 3: The Historic Repetition
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "Re Run Home"     14:06
2. "Cherokee"   Ray Noble 8:14
3. "Clair de Lune"   Claude Debussy 11:07
4. "Malcolm's Theme"  
8:40
5. "The Message"     11:11
Total length:
 53:18

Personnel

  • Kamasi Washington — tenor saxophone, band leader
  • Miles Mosley — acoustic bass
  • Ronald Bruner, Jr. — drums
  • Tony Austin — drums
  • Thundercat — electric bass
  • Brandon Coleman — keyboards
  • Dwight Trible — lead vocals
  • Patrice Quinn — lead vocals
  • Leon Mobley — percussion
  • Cameron Graves — piano
  • Ryan Porter — trombone
  • Igmar Thomas — trumpet

Chart positions

Charts (2015) Peak
position
US Billboard Heatseekers[11] 6
US Billboard Independent Albums[12] 18
US Billboard Jazz Albums[13] 3

In November 2015, the album reached gold status in Germany.

References

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External links

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