The_Epic_(album)

<i>The Epic</i> (album)

The Epic (album)

2015 studio album by Kamasi Washington

The Epic is the third studio album by American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington and his first on a major-label.[1] It was released on May 5, 2015, by the Brainfeeder record label.

Quick Facts The Epic, Studio album by Kamasi Washington ...

Critical reception

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Upon its release, The Epic was widely celebrated by 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 7 reviews.[3] the 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."[4] Russell Warfield of Drowned in Sound described the album as "wonderful stuff" and that the record "deserves a high score by any standards of evaluation".[5]

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."[7] Seth Colter Walls of Pitchfork awarded the album the "Best New Music" tag, writing, "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."[9]

Accolades

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Track listing

CD

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All tracks are written by Kamasi Washington, except where noted

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More information Vinyl Triple LP track listing ...

Personnel

Credits adapted from vinyl liner notes.

Band

  • Kamasi Washington – tenor saxophone, band leader, arrangement, production (all tracks)
  • Thundercat – electric bass (tracks 1, 2, 5–7, 10, 12, 13, 17)
  • Miles Mosley – upright bass (tracks 1–13, 15–17), electric bass (track 14)
  • Ronald Bruner, Jr. – drums (tracks 3, 4, 6, 7, 10–13, 16, 17)
  • Tony Austin – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4–6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 15–17), engineering (tracks 1-2, 4-13, 15-17)
  • Leon Mobley – percussion (tracks 2–4, 8–10, 17)
  • Cameron Graves – piano (tracks 1–6, 9–13, 15–17), organ (track 8)
  • Brandon Coleman – keyboards (tracks 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 12–14, 17), organ (tracks 3–5, 10–12, 14–16), piano (track 8)
  • Ryan Porter – trombone (tracks 1–10, 12–17)
  • Igmar Thomas – trumpet (track 1, 2, 5–7, 9, 12, 13, 17)
  • Dwight Trible – lead vocals (track 16)
  • Patrice Quinn – lead vocals (tracks 6, 11, 14, 16)

Additional musicians

  • Robert Miller – drums (track 14)
  • Shaunte Palmer – trombone (track 11)
  • Todd Simon – trumpet (track 11)
  • Brian Rosemeyer – engineering (tracks 3, 14)

Ensemble – (tracks 1, 2, 5–7, 9, 11, 12, 14)

  • Neel Hammond – violin
  • Tylana Renga Enomoto – violin
  • Paul Cartwright – violin
  • Jennifer Simone – violin
  • Lucia Micarelli – violin
  • Molly Rogers – viola
  • Andrea Whitt – viola
  • Artyom Manukyan – cello
  • Ginger Murphy – cello
  • Dawn Norfleet – choir vocals
  • Thalma de Freitas – choir vocals
  • Maiya Sykes – choir vocals
  • Gina Manziello – choir vocals
  • Patrice Quinn – choir vocals
  • Natasha F. Agrama – choir vocals
  • Dwight Trible – choir vocals
  • Steven Wayne – choir vocals
  • Taylor Graves – choir vocals
  • Charles Jones – choir vocals
  • Jason Marales – choir vocals
  • Dexter Story – choir vocals
  • Cameron Graves – choir vocals
  • Tracy Carter – choir vocals

Mixing engineer

  • Benjamin Tierney

Charts

Weekly charts

More information Chart (2015), Peak position ...

Year-end charts

More information Chart (2016), Position ...

Certifications

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References

  1. [1]
    "Fresh heirs: how Kamasi Washington gave jazz back to the kids". The Guardian. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  2. [2]
    "The Epic by Kamasi Washington reviews". Any Decent Music?. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  3. [3]
    "Reviews for The Epic by Kamasi Washington". Metacritic. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  4. [4]
    Jurek, Thom. "The Epic – Kamasi Washington". AllMusic. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  5. [5]
    Warfield, Russell (May 5, 2015). "Album Review: Kamasi Washington – The Epic". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on October 12, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  6. [6]
    Hobart, Mike (May 2, 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic — review". Financial Times. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  7. [7]
    Fordham, John (June 18, 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic review – a spectacular new jazz odyssey". The Guardian. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  8. [8]
    Carroll, Jim (July 3, 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic | Album Review". The Irish Times. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  9. [9]
    Walls, Seth Colter (May 8, 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  10. [10]
    Hermes, Will (June 2, 2015). "The Epic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  11. [11]
    Lewis, John (July 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic". Uncut (218): 84.
  12. [12]
    "The Best Albums of 2015". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. December 2, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  13. [13]
    "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Pitchfork. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  14. [14]
    "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  15. [15]
    "Albums of the Year 2015". Rough Trade. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  16. [16]
    "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". Stereogum. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  17. [17]
    "2015 Rewind: Releases of the Year 1–50". The Wire. No. 383. London. January 2016. p. 32 – via Exact Editions.
  18. [18]
    Dolan, Jon; Spanos, Brittany; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Sheffield, Rob; Holmes, Charles; Hoard, Christian; Hudak, Joseph; Leight, Elias; Exposito, Suzy; Hermes, Will; Martoccio, Angie; Browne, David; Shteamer, Hank; Freeman, Jon; Shaffer, Claire; Ehrlich, Brenna; Bernstein, Jonathan; Blistein, Jon; Catucci, Nick; Klinkenberg, Brendan; Schwartz, Danny; Grow, Kory (2019-12-03). "The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
  19. [19]
    "Kamasi Washington Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  20. [20]
    "Kamasi Washington Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  21. [21]
    "Kamasi Washington Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  22. [22]
    "Jaaroverzichten 2016 Albums". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  23. [23]
    "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kamasi Washington; 'The Epic')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
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