Watch Kamasi Washington’s Overwhelming Tonight Show Performance
Young jazz great Kamasi Washington got a shoutout on Kendrick Lamar’s recent #1 hit “squabble up,” and he co-produced Kendrick’s GNX bangers “tv off” and “luther.” That’s a strange new position for Washington. Even if he’s worked with Kendrick before, he’s never been involved in making hits. But that experience isn’t going to stop Washington from his primary mission, which is performing cosmically epic jazz on the biggest stages possible. Last night, that mission brought him to The Tonight Show.
Kamasi Washington’s album Fearless Movement came out earlier this year, and he and his band performed its epic opening track “Lesanu” on last night’s Tonight Show. This was a big band, and they turned “Lesanu” into a sonic spectacle. Washington’s father Rickey played flute, and the ensemble also included DJ Battlecat and singer Patrice Quinn, who always kind of steals the show.
For this performance, Washington also staged “Leanu” as a visual spectacle, with that band accompanying a traditional Ethiopian dance group. You don’t get too much jazz on TV these days; maybe it’s hard to make it visually engaging. With this performance, though, you almost don’t know where to look. There’s just stuff happening everywhere. Check it out below.
Fearless Movement is out now on Young. Check out our We’ve Got A File On You interview with Kamasi Washington here.