Album Review
Fearless Movement
by Kamasi Washington
Released 4/26/24
By Joe Vickrey
Fearless Movement Cover
Legend has it he traded his ability to smile for unparalleled musical genius at a crossroad in Los Angeles. Aside from his own award-winning albums, Kamasi Washington is credited for playing saxophone on Thundercat’s Them Changes and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. If not the most famous saxophonist of the last decade, Kamasi is certainly the most-heard. Back with his first full-length record in six years, Fearless Movement is a journey through time and space with all the comforts of modern living.
The album starts off with hasty chaos. Purposely built to disorient the listener and capture their full attention, ‘Lesanu’ sets the pace for the rest of the album by freeing you of any preconceived expectations you might have had.
Kamasi has assembled the Neo-Jazz Justice League for this latest entry. Thundercat, George Clinton, and many more A-list cameos make this album all the more special. ‘Dream State’ even features the hottest flute artist of the year: André 3000. The song captures the atmospheric feel of André’s newest album, New Blue Sun, but with an added element of groove that keeps the song pushing into new territories.
The stereo spread on this record feels cinematic. Different elements are constantly coming in and out of focus. Nothing overstays its welcome, and many instruments disappear from your view before you can actually grasp what they were. Most (if not all) of the songs sound like they were recorded by two drummers that were hard-panned left and right. Each song features an additional five layers or so of auxiliary percussion tucked neatly into the mix. I bring this up because not only is it amazing that this much percussion can work while maintaining a palpable groove, but if you only have one earbud in, you’re going to be missing a lot of the picture.
Photo by Krists Luhaers
One of the most impressive feats here is that vocalists seem to drift in and out of songs with the same treatment as the instrumentation.
Singers and rappers are woven into songs without falling into a pop song format. One of the few exceptions to this is ‘Get Lit.’ This song feels a little more traditional in the sense that it’s instrument-supported and vocal-led. It felt like I was hearing George Clinton sing again for the first time, and D-Smoke (of Netflix's Rhythm + Flow fame) has a flow that is powerful and classy. ‘Get Lit’ is one of those songs you want to scream about from a rooftop. It’s a funky, soul-centric tune soaked in a vibrant groove from decades past. For anyone trying to dip their toes into the realm of psychedelic neo-jazz, I’d recommend they start here.
Coming in at a whopping 13:25, ‘Road to Self (KO)’ is not only the longest song of the album but arguably the most transcendent piece to the collection. A hypnotic groove sets the stage for the most hushed moments of the record. The slow-building theme bows down to the most mind-bending bass solo followed by a massive drum break. These moments offer a welcomed sense of space that lifts the song and album rather than pause the progress of the collective to showcase individual virtuosity. Building back into the most yearning groove the record has to offer leaves you no doubt that the neo-Jazz Justice League are in fact just that: a league of superhumans making music beyond human capabilities.
Photo by Vincent Haycock (Courtesy Of The Artist)
This is an album that pushes the boundaries of jazz-rooted music without feeling pretentious. Complex chord structures and instrumentation morph without requiring you to show your PhD in Jazz Appreciation. No acquired taste required. Whether you love Miles Davis or Modern Hip-hop, this album feels fresh. It would make Herbie Hancock proud. This album turns you on your head until you’ve forgotten how to work your legs.
Check out ‘Get Lit’ below.