LIVE: Kamasi Washington is Epic at The Howard Theatre in Washington DC

First off, full disclosure, I had never heard of Kamasi Washington before I attended his show Wednesday at Howard Theatre. Besides a few google searches to get some background info and at least find out what genre of music he played, I went in totally blind. A lot of the articles that popped up we're talking about the fact that he is responsible for most of the arrangements on Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp A Butterfly". A college educated saxophonist who helped to create one of the best hip hop albums in the past few years easily had me interested but I still didn't know what to expect at the show.

Mark G. Meadows, a DC native, and his band were moving the crowd as I walked in. Composer, pianist and vocalist, Meadow is not only able to reach the audience but teach the audience. While doing a cover of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" he coached the audience on how to do a proper 5 count for a call and response. It was w very well rounded set in which he used many different tempos and even brought out a rapper for a couple of songs. Very good set that definitely could've went longer without a complaint. You can check him and his music out  here.
After a short intermission to reset the stage, the host introduced Kamasi Washington and his band, the Next Step.
Without a word the band started to play. It was incredible. Washington and his small band easily filled the room and had everyone tapping their feet. If there weren't tables covering the dance floor I have no doubt people would've been cutting a rug. You could almost see the music as if a movie was playing. One song would seem like a chase scene, the next is the sped up planning phase, and of course a love scene or two came up.
Washington seemed to never run out of breath and the rest of band was in total sync with him throughout the night. Each band member had their moments to shine solo as well. Washington's new album, The Epic, was played the most but he shared that each band member had recorded an album at the same time and then they played a few of their songs. I would've never thought I could be so captured by a show where only a few songs actually had words. It was amazing.
Kamasi Washington and the Next Step are on tour now and I recommend you go to see them and enjoy yourself.
Written by Toronto Alsbrooks courtesy of howwastheconcert.com
Photos by Photographer/Filmmaker Ralston Smith