The title of his latest album Fearless Movement (2024) perfectly sums up what Kamasi Washington represents. The Grammy-nominated saxophonist hadn’t even reached the age of 20 when he received his first award, winning the John Coltrane Music Competition in his hometown of Los Angeles. It’s a fitting prize, because his soul-splitting outbursts evoke memories of his great predecessor. Washington has now established a name for himself in his own right, by working for Kendrick Lamar among others, but especially through his intense live performances and groundbreaking albums, on which he mixes his new urban jazz with soul, hip-hop and orchestral majesty. Fearless Movement is inspired by the birth of his first daughter and by dance music, which Washington says he doesn't necessarily set out to make, but, as he states: "The more expression in the music, the more it inspires you to move", which would explain why no one ever seems to stand still during his performances.
