The Epic (album)
2015 studio album by Kamasi Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Epic is the third studio album by American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington and his first to be released on a record label.[1] It was released on May 5, 2015, by the Brainfeeder record label.
| The Epic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 5, 2015 | |||
| Studio | Kingsize Soundlabs (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | Avant-garde jazz, spiritual jazz | |||
| Length | 173:36 | |||
| Label | Brainfeeder | |||
| Producer | Kamasi Washington | |||
| Kamasi Washington chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Epic | ||||
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Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.9/10[2] |
| Metacritic | 83/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[5] |
| Financial Times |  [6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| The Irish Times | [8] |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10[9] |
| Rolling Stone |  [10] |
| Uncut | 8/10[11] |
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
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Guardian | The Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 8[12] |
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 10[13] |
| The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 2019 | 58[14] | |
| Rough Trade | Albums of the Year 2015 | 2015 | 7[15] |
| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 35[16] |
| The Wire | Releases of the Year 1–50 | 2015 | 8[17] |
| Rolling Stone | The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s | 2019 | 82[18] |
Track listing
CD
All tracks are written by Kamasi Washington, except where noted.
| 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" |
| 7:45 |
| Total length: | 66:05 | ||
| 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" |
| 7:13 |
| 6. | "The Magnificent 7" | 12:48 | |
| Total length: | 54:05 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Vinyl Triple LP track listing |
|---|
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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
Technical
- Benjamin Tierney – mixing engineer
- Daddy Kev – mastering engineer
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[19] | 2 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[20] | 18 |
| US Top Jazz Albums (Billboard)[21] | 3 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2016) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[22] | 145 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Germany (BVMI)[23] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||