Kamasi Washington @ Sage Gateshead - May 21

Kamasi Washington (tenor sax); Rickey Washington (soprano sax/flute); Ryan Porter (trombone); Brandon Coleman (keys/vocals); Miles Mosley (bass); Robert Miller, Tony Austin (drums); Patrice Quinn (vocals).

(Review by Lance).

Not many jazz-related bands go close to filling Sage One but, not many jazz-related bands are fronted by the current kingpin of the jazz/funk/soul scene, the man rapidly approaching legendary status - Kamasi Washington.

The hype was in, the fashion followers took heed and they weren't disappointed judging by the standing ov. at the end. Kamasi is a prodigious tenor player with an awesome technique who takes no prisoners. My initial reaction was of an F1 steamroller in a demolition derby but, as the evening progressed there were tender moments too. If jazz is to capture a younger audience without losing the older generation along the way then KW is the man to do it.

Equally impressive (and less flamboyant) was his dad Rickey on soprano sax and flute. Washington père delighted on both instruments. On trombone, Ryan Porter brought Jay Jay into the twenty-first century with some rapid-fire tromboning and a mellifluous sound. 

Brandon Coleman left no note unplayed attacking his assortment of keyboards with such ferocity that, had he been let loose on one of the venue's Steinways it would have been firewood by the end of the gig.

Miles Mosley did some amazing things on double bass - both arco and pizz - that left the listeners openmouthed by his dexterity whilst, also producing an almost celloic sonority.

Two drummers? I questioned the need for plural percussion - between them they had more drums than the average drum showroom - and yet they gelled without getting in each other's way to the extent that it wasn't always easy to say who was hitting what apart from Miller's big feature which, needless to say, brought the house down.

For most of the evening, Patrice remained a peripheral figure moving and grooving at stage (Sage?) left interpreting music by movement. As the evening rolled on she added her voice to the ensembles before emerging as a fully-fledged singer delivering words of protest such as “Our time as victims is over / We will no longer ask for justice / Instead, we will take our retribution.”

Kamasi also offered some philosophic words on present-day issues such as equality that brought roars of approval from the crowd and will probably be forgotten tomorrow.

I didn't catch the titles of all the numbers but some of them were: The Psalmist; Harmony of Difference; Truth & Fists of Fury.

It was a memorable evening.

Lance.

PS: A review of the support act - Oscar Jerome - will be posted shortly.