Kamasi Washington: after touring with Snoop Dogg, could he be jazz's next superstar?

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The other members of the West Coast Get Down who appear on the album, like Stephen Bruner, known as Thundercat, and bassist Miles Mosley, come – like Washington himself, who’s the saxophonist son of a saxophonist father – from musical families with deep connections to LA’s relatively neglected jazz scene. “We were like ghetto kids in the Nineties who benefited from the Clinton administration’s funding for community projects,” says Mosley, who I meet at breakfast before my interview with Washington. What happened over the years was that we began to cherish the time when we could play with each other again.” open image in gallery Snoop Dogg performs onstage during day 4 of the Firefly Music Festival What was to become The Epic began – fittingly for a three-decker concept album where the mystical tradition of Seventies UK prog-rockers such as Yes is perhaps inescapable – with a recurring dream of a story about The Guard, a Ninja-like defender of a misty mountain fortress who has to protect his territory against those who would try to replace him. But by doing that you’re learning the skills to take you to the next level.” Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial Sign up Now the guard has changed, Washington is getting the respect of his elders, with sax stars such as Pharoah Sanders and Kenny Garrett letting him know they like what he’s doing.