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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
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.
100
Kamasi Washington’s new album certainly lives up to the billing. A 32-piece orchestra, 20-strong choir and 10-band members producing a 172-minute, three-volume, 17-track suite ensures you’ve earned the right to call your work epic.
90
Running just short of three hours in length, this new Kamasi Washington album lives up to its name.
86
What The Epic does come to sound like, over the course of its significant running time, is a generational intervention—an educational tool that widens the definition of styles that fall under "jazz classicism."
80
This is wonderful stuff ... Whether you absorb it song by song, disc by disc, or as one huge suite, Washington is reaching for the epic on every scale.
80
Dedicated to bringing jazz to the uninitiated, Epic features soul and gospel vocals, boiling drumming, swing, funk, and voicelike free-jazz blowing.
70
To be sure, it's a jazz album, as much about tradition as expanding it, informed by Coltranes (John and Alice), Miles Davis fusions, bebop and more; yet it's clearly shaped by crate-digger funk and film scores, hip-hop collage and gospel.
You think it's too long? aahh, shaddup. Kamasi Washington just gave you 3 hours of pure magic. Be grateful, ya wieners
Well, it's the last day of summer (seriously, it's went by too fast), so I thought why not go out with a bang for this season with one of the most praised modern Jazz releases: The Epic. It just felt like the right time to hear it, and since it's been on my radar for at least 4 months now, I just had to get it out of the way.
Released in May 2015, this is regarded as the magnum opus of American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, being a high critical success. Now, I've been so eager to check ... read more
As Kamasi Washington intends to speak to us through his compositions and surprising improvisations; he lacks what I was hoping when going through this, as to hopefully analyze it fairly.. It is no doubt an interesting album, but there's a lot to take in here; this being a, well, 3 hour long jazz album that prides itself on being "Epic" and what it tries to accomplish: being the savior of Jazz before its "inevitable obscurity" as some of you would PROBABLY put it. What he ... read more
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Track List
Volume 1 - The Plan
| 1 | Change of the Guard 12:15 | 94 |
| 2 | Askim 12:34 | 93 |
| 3 | Isabelle 12:12 | 87 |
| 4 | Final Thought 6:31 | 90 |
| 5 | The Next Step 14:48 | 90 |
| 6 | The Rhythm Changes 7:43 | 95 |
Volume 2 - The Glorious Tale
| 1 | Miss Understanding 8:46 | 92 |
| 2 | Leroy and Lanisha 9:24 | 92 |
| 3 | Re Run 8:19 | 91 |
| 4 | Seven Prayers 7:35 | 88 |
| 5 | Henrietta Our Hero 7:13 | 91 |
| 6 | The Magnificent 7 12:45 | 94 |
Volume 3 - The Historic Repetition
| 1 | Re Run Home 14:05 | 90 |
| 2 | Cherokee 8:14 | 91 |
| 3 | Clair de Lune 11:07 | 84 |
| 4 | Malcolm’s Theme 8:40 | 91 |
| 5 | The Message 11:08 | 94 |
Total Length: 2 hours, 53 minutes
Year End Lists
| #2 | / | Okayplayer |
| #3 | / | The Needle Drop |
| #4 | / | PopMatters |
| #6 | / | The 405 |
| #7 | / | Rough Trade |
| #8 | / | The Guardian |
| #8 | / | The Wire |
| #9 | / | CraveOnline |
| #10 | / | Pitchfork |
| #10 | / | Slant Magazine |
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Added on: May 1, 2015