Kamasi Washington’s Giant Step

….Kamasi Washington’s description of the precise horn lines and feeling that Snoop Dog emphasized made me want to listen. I have always appreciated Snoop Dog’s natural funk, but. Yes, but. I pulled up his Greatest Hits (from 2005) on Rhapsody. Like most Hip-Hop, it soon bored me. I am far from prudish, but, foolish me, my requirement of music is that it lift me to a positive place, not make me feel the need to take a shower to clean myself of its inherent filth and LACK of spirituality. The only reverence I heard is that for the N-word, misogyny, and gangsterism which, tragically, irrevocably, detract from some great music and any attempts at wisdom. I understand he is now Snoop Lion and blah blah blah. The damage is done. Conscious choices were made. There is always more than one way to go. The right path is the hardest. Just imagine if….just imagine. I applaud Kamasi for choosing the path that he has, and I look forward to witnessing his positive influence on today’s youth, which is so badly in need of it.

Not a perfect piece (not enough understanding of some of the men mentioned, especially Gerald Wilson) but, given certain limitations, a truly inspiring and nearly reverent piece of writing without ever falling into some obvious traps. I, at 63, have been wandering the desert of Maryland and Washington, D.C., looking for men--black, white, whatever—who possess the understanding, the humility, the street education, and the spirituality that is presented in this story which, I’m sure, reads like Sanskrit to a great many readers. Needles to say, I agree with most of the comments here, though it is a shame that Irate Citizen’s attitude is so typical of today’s mentality; only money counts and the masses determine greatness. Well, some of us are, and have been, looking for something else, the spirituality that is at the center of this piece. Horace Tapscott was not “obscure.” He inspired love and positive living. And I, a black man, have listened to his music for many years….Yes, Hip-Hop has given us a great many innovations, but it has also helped push countless young black men down an anti-education, anti-intellectual, anti-spiritual, self-destructive path while contributing immeasurably to, rather than diminishing, racism…...

I bought "The Epic" last June. Since then, I've listened to it constantly. In a time when a lot of jazz is too polished and cerebral for my taste, here's an album full of passion, fire, intensity and beauty. Great article. Great musician. Wonderful music.

Adam it was great to have met you my friend and thank you for this piece. Well done. And that's why you work for the New York Times and I don't. Outstanding.

A delight well done, an epic piece unto itself, told with a voice at once informed, insightful and inviting. It's SO nice to read something of length written by someone who not only hears but listens, looks but also sees, thinks but also reasons, and appreciates the importance of presenting history in context. The result is closer to New Yorker proportions than whatever style - if any - is possessed by DownBeat or the even lesser lights in that field.

Yes, a great piece...but where are the women in this story? Isn't it the same old stereotype of this area of music that it's a man's cutting game -- women on the sidelines but seldom on the bandstand. We can praise Coltrane not only for his great artistry and vision but for having the courage to take a woman (his wife) into the band. I suggest for people interested in the current state of this music to check out Matana Roberts' work, which deals more explicitly and thoroughly with the dynamics of racism in America and, in my opinion, has a deeper and further reaching notion of where this music has been and where it's going. As Flavor Flav once said, "Don't believe the hype."

A great and inspiring story. The last line brought tears to my eyes.

Gerald Wilson was a NEA jazzmaster.

Mr. Shatz, thank you for writing such a beautiful and informative piece about this wonderful artist and human being. You've really brought Mr. Washington to life. Your profile is a wonderful complement to his music.

As a contemporary of these musicians who played in the high school orchestra at Hamilton, I'm glad to see them get positive attention for their great music, especially Abraham.

A sound track of Kamasi Washington's music would have been a welcome component of the story.

When I heard Washington's band, I felt like my ears were experiencing the end of a 25-year drought.

A great piece.

I'm gratified to read the recognition of Horace Tapscott, Billy Higgins, The World Stage, Fifth Street Dick's, Leimert Park, Watts, and the culture of creativity that was happening here in LA in the early 90s, and how that became the cradle for what's happening now.

Horace was a prophet; truly one of the greats souls of culture. It says much about the racism of America that what was and is happening in south LA for decades has remained under-recognized. What all of these creative men and women have helped create is one of the greatest gifts we have today, and I'm glad to see Washington and his peers develop and amplify that gift. May they play nobly and beautifully, spreading the gospel as it were, for many, many fruitful years.