The Epic (album)

Last updated
The Epic
Kamasi Washington The Epic.jpg
Studio album by
Kamasi Washington
ReleasedMay 5, 2015 (2015-05-05)
Studio Kingsize Soundlabs
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre Avant-Garde Jazz, Spiritual jazz
Length173:36
Label Brainfeeder
Producer Kamasi Washington
Kamasi Washington chronology
Light of the World
(2008)		The Epic
(2015)		 Harmony of Difference
(2017)
Singles from The Epic
  1. "Re Run Home"
    Released: March 10, 2015
  2. "Miss Understanding"
    Released: April 8, 2015

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.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.9/10 [2]
Metacritic 83/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
Drowned in Sound 8/10 [5]
Financial Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
Pitchfork 8.6/10 [9]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [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

PublicationAccoladeYearRank
The Guardian The Best Albums of 20152015
8 [12]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 20152015
10 [13]
The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s2019
58 [14]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 20152015
7 [15]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 20152015
35 [16]
The Wire Releases of the Year 1–502015
8 [17]
Rolling Stone The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s201982 [18]

Track listing

CD

All tracks are written by Kamasi Washington, except where noted.

Volume 1: The Plan
No.TitleWriter(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"
  • Patrice Quinn
  • Washington
7:45
Total length:66:05
Volume 2: The Glorious Tale
No.TitleWriter(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"
  • Quinn
  • Washington
7:13
6."The Magnificent 7" 12:48
Total length:54:05
Volume 3: The Historic Repetition
No.TitleWriter(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
Volume 1: The Plan
  1. "A1. Change of the Guard" — 12:16
  2. "A2. Isabelle" — 12:13
  3. "A3. Final Thought" — 6:32
  4. "B1. The Next Step" — 14:49
  5. "B2. Askim" — 12:35
Volume 2: The Glorious Tale
  1. "A1. The Rhythm Changes" — 7:44
  2. "A2. Leroy and Lanisha" — 9:24
  3. "A3. Re Run" — 8:20
  4. "B1. Miss Understanding" — 8:46
  5. "B2. Henrietta Our Hero" — 7:14
  6. "B3. Seven Prayers" — 7:36
  7. "B4. Cherokee" — 8:14
Volume 3: The Historic Repetition
  1. "A1. The Magnificent 7" — 12:46
  2. "A2. Re Run Home" — 14:06
  3. "B1. Malcolm's Theme" — 8:41
  4. "B2. Clair de Lune" — 11:08
  5. "B3. The Message" — 11:09

Personnel

Credits adapted from vinyl liner notes.

Band

Additional musicians

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

Technical

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

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI) [23] Platinum20,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Fresh heirs: how Kamasi Washington gave jazz back to the kids". The Guardian. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
  2. ↑ "The Epic by Kamasi Washington reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Reviews for The Epic by Kamasi Washington". Metacritic . Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Jurek, Thom. "The Epic – Kamasi Washington". AllMusic . Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  5. 1 2 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. ↑ Hobart, Mike (May 2, 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic — review" . Financial Times . Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Fordham, John (June 18, 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic review – a spectacular new jazz odyssey". The Guardian . Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  8. ↑ Carroll, Jim (July 3, 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic | Album Review". The Irish Times . Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  9. 1 2 Walls, Seth Colter (May 8, 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  10. ↑ Hermes, Will (June 2, 2015). "The Epic". Rolling Stone . Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  11. ↑ Lewis, John (July 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic". Uncut (218): 84.
  12. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2015". The Guardian . Guardian News and Media. December 2, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  13. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Pitchfork . December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  14. ↑ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork . October 8, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Albums of the Year 2015". Rough Trade. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  16. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". Stereogum. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  17. ↑ "2015 Rewind: Releases of the Year 1–50" . The Wire . No. 383. London. January 2016. p. 32 – via Exact Editions.
  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. ↑ "Kamasi Washington Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Kamasi Washington Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Kamasi Washington Chart History (Top Jazz Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 2016 Albums". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  23. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kamasi Washington; 'The Epic')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie . Retrieved 23 December 2018.
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