★★★★★
he title isn't kidding - this is a 172-minute spectacular for choir, classical orchestra and jazz band. Leader , a flamethrower of a saxophonist with John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders connections, also works for West Coast hip-hop artist . Dedicated to bringing jazz to the uninitiated, Epic features soul and gospel vocals, boiling drumming (Art Blakey was a declared inspiration), swing, funk, and voicelike free-jazz blowing...
- www.theguardian.com
2015-06-19
★★★★★
It is probably impossible to discuss Kamasi Washington's new record--all three impressive hours of it--without copping to at least some awareness of two extra-musical truths. The first of these holds that, as a member of the studio wrecking crew that brought Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly into being, this saxophonist-composer is unusually well poised to secure the attention of listeners who have previously been uninterested in jazz...
- pitchfork.com
2015-05-08
★★★★★
Battling upstream against our culture of dwindling attention spans is the appositely titled - a three-disc, three-hour monster of a jazz album. In an age when music is dismissed within the first 15 seconds of a stream, this feels like a handsome relic from a time of patience and focus. All credit to virtuosic saxophonist for having the nerve to do it, and even more credit for managing to completely pull it off...
- www.drownedinsound.com
2015-05-05