‘Kamasi Washington’

​​​​​​​Today, Kamasi Washington is announcing his European tour to promote his latest album ‘Fearless Movement’. After six years away, the legendary saxophonist is finally returning to Belgium. On 28 October, he is certain to blow away the Bozar crowd. Tickets go on sale on Friday 19 April at 10:00.

Washington’s brand new tour and album are dubbed ‘Fearless Movement’ and are his first new musical exploits since 2018. The authoritative Pitchfork website went on record saying the first track sounded highly promising. Roping in the considerable talents of members of the upper crust of jazz such as André 3000 – with whom he recently recorded ‘Dream State’ – Thundercat and George Clinton on the guest list, this hardly comes as a surprise. Inspired by dance and the birth of his first daughter, ‘Fearless Movement’ is set be released on 2 May. 

Since his 2015 debut, Kamasi Washington has enjoyed an excellent reputation among jazz cognoscenti and far beyond, with an impressive track record. Singled out for praise with the American Music Prize, his first studio album ‘The Epic’ (2015) was embraced as among the best releases of the year. Other records of his, such as ‘Harmony Of Difference’ (2017) – an EP commissioned by ‘The Whitney Biennial’ – and ‘Heaven and Earth’ (2018) were met with nothing but praise. In 2020, Kamasi composed and produced the original score to "Becoming", the four time Emmy-nominated film that offers an intimate glimpse of the life of Michelle Obama. The production gave him his first of two Grammy nominations, bagging the second nomination for ‘Dinner Party: Dessert’ (2020). An EP on which he worked with Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper and 9th Wonder. Kamasi’s list of collabs is nothing if not jaw-dropping and does not lend itself to being pigeon-holed. British quality newspaper The Guardian even compared him to the monolithic figure that is John Coltrane. After all, he has worked with such luminaries as Kendrick Lamar, Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Florence & The Machine and Herbie Hancock. In fact, he is organising the ‘Hollywood Bowl Jazz Fest’ for the second year in a row with Herbie himself. 

If you like your fusion jazz firmly grounded in the 21st century with a big knowing wink to the master of yesteryear, you are going to love Kamasi Washington. On 28 October at Bozar, but you already knew that, right?