The Epic (album)
Untitled | |
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The Epic is the second studio album by American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington. It was released on May 5, 2015, through the Brainfeeder record label and counts as his major label debut.
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 83/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Drowned in Sound | 8/10[3] |
The Guardian | [4] |
Pitchfork | 8.6/10[5] |
Rolling Stone | [6] |
Upon its release, The Epic received positive reviews from 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.[1] 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."[2] Russell Warfield of Drowned in Sound described the album as "wonderful stuff," further stating that the record "deserves a high score by any standards of evaluation."[3]
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."[4] Seth Colter Walls of Pitchfork awarded the album with "Best New Music" tag, stating: "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."[5]
Accolades
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
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The Guardian | The Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 8[7]
|
Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 10[8]
|
Rough Trade | Albums of the Year 2015 | 2015 | 7[9]
|
Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2015 | 2015 | 35[10]
|
The Wire | Releases of the Year 1–50 | 2015 | 8[11]
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Track listing
CD
All tracks are written by Kamasi Washington, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(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" |
| 7:45 |
Total length: | 66:05 |
No. | Title | Writer(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" |
| 7:13 |
6. | "The Magnificent 7" | 12:48 | |
Total length: | 54:05 |
No. | Title | Writer(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 |
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|
Personnel
- Kamasi Washington — tenor saxophone, band leader
- Miles Mosley — acoustic bass
- Ronald Bruner, Jr. — drums
- Tony Austin — drums
- Thundercat — electric bass
- Brandon Coleman — keyboards
- Dwight Trible — lead vocals
- Patrice Quinn — lead vocals
- Leon Mobley — percussion
- Cameron Graves — piano
- Ricky Washington — soprano saxophone
- Ryan Porter — trombone
- Igmar Thomas — trumpet
Chart positions
Charts (2015) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Heatseekers[12] | 6 |
US Billboard Independent Albums[13] | 18 |
US Billboard Jazz Albums[14] | 3 |
Year-end charts
Chart (2016) | Position |
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Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] | 145 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Germany (BVMI)[16] | Platinum | 200,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ a b "The Epic by Kamasi Washington". Metacritic. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Kamasi Washington - The Epic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Warfield, Russell (May 5, 2015). "Kamasi Washington- The Epic". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Fordham, John (June 18, 2015). "Kamasi Washington: The Epic review – a spectacular new jazz odyssey". The Guardian. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ a b Walls, Seth Colter (May 8, 2015). "Kamasi Washington - The Epic". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ Hermes, Will (June 2, 2015). "The Epic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ "The Best Albums of 2015". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. December 2, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Pitchfork. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
- ^ "Albums of the Year 2015". roughtrade.com. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". stereogum.com. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
- ^ "2015 Rewind: Releases of the Year 1–50". The Wire. No. 383. London. January 2016. p. 32 – via Exact Editions. (subscription required)
- ^ "Kamasi Washington- Heatseekers chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ "Kamasi Washington- Independent Albums chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ "Kamasi Washington - Jazz Albums chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2016 Albums". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kamasi Washington; 'The Epic')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.