Live Review: Kamasi Washington

The opportunity to watch a full-blown jazz show at Australia’s greatest venue brought out music lovers, young and old, keen to immerse themselves in an ocean of sound at the Sydney Opera House last night.

Kamasi Washington has made modern jazz music accessible while not only maintaining the aesthetic of the craft but enhancing it. The first thing the crowd noticed were the dual drum kits. Washington later said, “You’ve probably already figured it out, I like drums!” Robert Miller Jr and Ronald Bruner Jr would hold down the beats for the evening sublimely. 

There’s a magnetic presence about the US saxophonist. His arrival on stage in his trademark flowing attire had a certain gravitas. When he spoke, you could do nothing but pay attention. But he really spoke with his sax. Starting with the slow build of Street Fighter Mas, we were treated to the first of many solos of the night.

The bass solo from Miles Mosley in The Rhythm Changes was mind-blowing, Mosley switching between fingers and a bow seamlessly. As was keyboardist Brandon Coleman's Giant Feelings, which included something like the Ghostbusters theme at the end. 

Washington declared “... how beautiful the world can be when we all come together” before Truth. The band intertwined five melodies together into a cacophony of sound that, at times, seemed a little overboard for the song, using orchestrated improvisation that always somehow returned to the main refrain and some sort of order.

The Concert Hall's acoustics meant we could hear every valve being pressed in the quiet sections, yet the glorious soaring vocal from Patrice Quinn was unfortunately often drowned out by the band. The constant moving and dancing from Quinn was a joy to witness though, with our focus changing from one band member to another throughout the evening. 

A drummers' ‘conversation’ between Miller and Bruner was just one special moment in a night filled with impressive musicianship. Last night's show was transcendental, joyous, universal and out of this world.