Giant Jazz: Kamasi Washington Beacon Theater 10/22/2021 Review

Kamasi Washington delivered an urgent, and colossal jazz performance Friday night at the Beacon Theatre which aimed to unite fans and human beings in attendance. This urgency was emphasized by sole vocalist Patrice Quinn’s closing mantra, : “Our time as victims is over/We will no longer ask for justice.Instead we will take our retribution.” which she chanted to the dwindling saxophones, hihat rattles, and piano of “Fists of Fury” the opening track to Kamasi’s 2018 album Heaven and Earth. In this article I’m going to walk you through Kamasi Washington’s Friday night performance in New York City and explain why Kamasi intended it to be a cultural rallying cry.

Kamsasi’s jazz band is intricate and bold. They are an ornate train with bells and whistles comprised of Tony Austin and Ronald Bruner Jr on drums whose percussions absolutely thundered, and then drizzled as Patrice Quinn sung melodies over Brandon Coleman’s lush staccato electric keys and Miles Mosely’s unceasing, scale winding, bass grooving. Kamasi himself took a middle tenor course of saxophone crooning over the pulsing jazz wave. Washing’s father Ricky provided flute and is responsible, Kamasi reveals, for the generation of this musical group.

Kamasi’s band has been together for “37 years” he tells us between suites. Bruner Jr and Austin were at Kamasi’s thor birthday party where his father Ricky got him a brand new drum set, and Kamasi tells us he was the best drummer of the three. The setlist of songs, in order, included “Sun Kissed Child”, “ Truth, ReRun, Becoming, Fists of Fury, and a Metallica cover of My Friend of Misery. Family roots and uplifting one another were a motif in Kamasi’s setlist. “Sun Kissed” Kamasi introduced as a song for his new baby girl. “Becoming” takes its name from Michelle Obama’s autobiography of the same name, and true to its name was an evolving and emotional piece. My Friend of Misery a nod to classic rock n roll, metal, displaying Kamasi’s far reaching and uncompromising musical insight. The rhythm of the drummers and Moses kept the crowd together as Patrice Quinn closed Fists of Fury with the direct and ominous chant to the crowd, “Our time as victims is over/We will no longer ask for justice.Instead we will take our retribution.”

Kamasi further extended his roots on the performance of “ReRun” in which he brought two teenage saxophonists on stage and marveled how the two kids were more interested in discussing ways to play a B flat suspended as opposed to video games like Street Fighter. It’s clear Kamasi is on a mission to illuminate unseen talent, and this is also reflected in his performance style. Kamasi acted as a true conductor, showcasing the unique talents of all his friends and family.

The persistence and beauty of Kamasi Washington’s performance at the Beacon Theater in New York was only trumped by the feeling that Kamasi was inviting you, the audience, to be part of something bigger than yourself. It was probably most beautiful to see Kamasi act like this himself, brooding over the musical notes of Quinn, Bruner Jr, Austin, Brandon Coleman, and his father, only entering the fray when his addition would enhance the overall vision of the group.

Trevor A Jones