Kamasi Washington set to release new album, Fearless Movement, in May; shares lead single ‘Prologue’

Photo: B+

There’s a new album on the way from virtuoso saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Kamasi Washington. Entitled Fearless Movement, Kamasi calls it his dance album. “It’s not literal,” he says. “Dance is movement and expression, and in a way it’s the same thing as music—expressing your spirit through your body. That’s what this album is pushing.” Fearless Movement marks a shift in Washington’s musical journey, with fatherhod also prompting a deeper exploration of the everyday aspects of life. He comments:

“Being a father means the horizon of your life all of a sudden shows up. My mortality became more apparent to me, but also my immortality—realizing that my daughter is going to live on and see things that I’m never going to see. I had to become comfortable with this, and that affected the music that I was making.”

The upcoming Fearless Movement features Washington’s daughter as well as a stellar lineup of collaborators including André 3000, Thundercat, George Clinton, Terrace Martin, Patrice Quinn, Brandon Coleman, BJ The Chicago Kid, D-Smoke and twins Taj and Ras Austin of Coast Contra, among others.

We’ll have to wait until May 3rd for the album to be out through Young but we can already hear the exhilarating and electrifying lead single ‘Prologue’. The track comes with an accompanying video directed by AG Rojas and choreographed by Samantha Blake Goodman, and you can watch it below.

Carlos Niño & Friends set to release new collaborative album Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening! in April

Carlos Niño & Friends - Flutes, Echoes, It's All HappeningCarlos Niño is getting ready to drop Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening!, the fourth collaborative album off his Carlos Niño & Friends series. To bring the record to life, the Los Angeles based producer, composer, ensemble orchestrator, percussionist, DJ and mentor assembled a stellar cast of guest contributors, including Madlib, Kamasi Washington, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Iasos, Luis Pérez Ixoneztli, Dexter Story, amongst others.

Flutes, Echoes, It’s All Happening navigates through varied influences, from jazz and New Age to psychedelic and ambient music, and spans a few years. “I rarely throw anything away”, said Niño, “and in this case, a few pieces I’d started and archived were brought back to the forefront as they vibrationally matched with the project. There is overlap in space, time and sound with these records.”

Ahead of its release on April 22nd via Leaving Records, we can already hear the first taste from it, ‘It’s All Happening!’ featuring Madlib, Jamire Williams, Dexter Story, and strings by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Take a listen now.