Kamasi Washington @ The Howard Theatre - 8/26/15
On Wednesday morning at approximately 6:45 AM Bryce Williams (Vester Flanagan) murdered Alison Parker and Adam Ward during a live television broadcast. He filmed the shootings and shared the video with the world before taking his own life.
On Wednesday evening at approximately 9:30 PM Kamasi Washington and his band began their set in front of a packed house at the Howard Theater.
These events were not connected. They were separated by 190 miles and 15 hours. That is a world of distance; an ocean of time. Yet these events were inextricably linked.
When tragedies play out on camera and are spread in real time through the media, we all become witnesses. Our national and local psyches are indelibly wounded by these all too common eruptions of violence. Charleston. Sandy Hook. Virginia Tech. Minneapolis. By some counts, more than one mass shooting a day in 2015. More incidents than we can remember, more victims than we can effectively process. Every person in that audience that watched the news, followed the events on social media, or (god forbid) saw the actual video was affected as part of the larger, extended community.
By the time Kamasi Washington took the stage, the familiar pattern of action and reaction had taken hold. The same debates about mental health and gun control, the same longform reaction pieces, the same accusations of “politicization” from all sides, the same feeling that this event, like the ones that came before, would change nothing. That our crippling national inertia would continue.
Kamasi didn’t directly address the events of the day during his show. He didn’t have to, that’s not what he was there for. He was there to show the crowd at the Howard - a building that has been a central feature of DC’s community for over 100 years - what a group of talented individuals united in common cause can do. From the first notes of “Change of the Guard” - the lead track off of Washington’s appropriately titled 2015 release, The Epic - you could feel the audience snap to attention and lean in a little closer. We all knew we were in for something special. Kamasi’s saxophone held the room in its thrall.
The set appropriately focused on tracks from The Epic, including “The Rhythm Changes,” “Final Thought,” and “Cherokee.” The ensemble was always on point, playing with a vigor that was clearly rooted in a well established camaraderie. But Washington also gave his bandmates a chance to show off new tracks from their recent albums, highlighted by a jaw dropping bass solo from Miles Mosley on “Abraham.” On every track, Washington gave one or more of the individual band members a chance to show their considerable chops, from the spine tingling vocals of Patrice Quinn, to a two-kit drum battle that would have made J.K. Simmons silently applaud, to an emotional guest appearance from Kamasi’s father (on flute!) during “Henrietta Our Hero.”
Throughout the show, Kamasi repeatedly expressed his genuine admiration and affection for his bandmates, many of whom he has been playing with for years. He is a man who understands the importance of collaboration, having made his name playing with talented and diverse musicians like Stanley Clarke, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog, Thundercat, and Flying Lotus. As a bandleader, he uses these experiences and influences to craft a sound that is uniquely, vibrantly his own and to coax the best performances possible - individually and collectively - out of his talented bandmates. In short it was an epic, uplifting performance that could not have come at a better time.
Of course, as remarkable as it was, Kamasi Washington’s performance didn’t change anything. Music cannot bring back Alison and Adam. Music cannot heal a community or salve a family’s pain. Music cannot change a politician’s heart. There are no easy solutions for such complex problems. But music can inspire. And for a few short hours at least, Kamasi reminded us that the seeds of change take root in strong communities and that through collaboration, individuals can come together to create beautiful things.
On Thursday, Alison Parker’s father said he would not rest until the country finds a way to keep guns out off the hands of people with mental illness. In DC, the afterglow of the show had faded and Kamasi was off to Philadelphia for the next stop on his tour. The afternoon brought a report of automatic weapons fire only a few miles from the Howard Theater. If our community - local and national - is to stop this cycle, no one will be getting much rest.
Learn more about the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence [link]
We can do this. We have to.
All photos by Kevin Hill. Click to Embiggen.
