Celestial sax

The late singer-songwriter and LSD aficionado David Crosby told a wild story of his first time watching saxophonist John Coltrane perform in 1960s New York. Overwhelmed and overstimulated by the ferocity of Coltrane’s band – as well as his acid trip – Crosby found himself taking shelter in the bathroom next to the stage. “And then BAM! Somebody kicks the door open. It’s ’Trane,” he recounted. “He’s playing at the most intense level you can ever imagine in your life. He never stopped soloing, he’s still soloing and he’s burning in this bathroom because it sounds good. He never even saw me. I’m thinking, my nose is gonna open and my brain’s going to pour on the floor. I never heard anybody play more intense.”

On a muggy Sunday afternoon at London’s Royal Festival Hall, 45-year-old saxophonist Kamasi Washington is channeling that bathroom-burning jazz passion. Celebrating the centenary of Coltrane’s birth, Washington is paying homage to his musical forebears, mashing up fiendishly complex compositions like Coltrane’s Giant Steps with the late Sonny Rollins’s frenetic Airegin, blowing so hard through his tenor saxophone you can hear its reed vibrate to the point of almost breaking. The effect is visceral, bolting the 2,700-strong audience to their seats with the energy of Washington’s nine-piece band. 

“I love going to space and this show is way out in space,” Washington says backstage, ears still ringing after the gig is done. “When you’re playing highly improvisational music, you’re concentrating at the highest possible rate but you also want to clear your mind so the music can take you where it needs to go. At its best, you feel you’re in a trance and you’re a vessel for something you can’t quite control. It might be Coltrane but it might also be another energy we can all tap into.” 

Coming to prominence in 2015 with the release of his maximal major label debut, The Epic, Washington has become known for revitalising the West Coast jazz scene with a sprawling sound that typically features the rhythmic barrage of two drummers, choir sections and competing horns. His keening phrases can be heard across rapper Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 record To Pimp A Butterfly, while his appearance today comes courtesy of famous fan Harry Styles, who invited him to play as part of his curation for Meltdown festival. 

Musically, Washington is explosive and irrepressible; in person, he cuts a shamanic figure, standing over six feet tall, crowned in his signature afro and adorned in a flowing white and embroidered gold Ethiopian gabi. His hands are covered in giant rings, opal stones and silver signets depicting everything from the mask of the Roman war god Mars to the head of Voltron, the 1980s animated TV space robot. He might seem an imposing figure but he speaks in a near whisper.

His singular presence is reflected by the members of his longtime band, featuring beret-wearing double bassist Miles Mosley, the Gucci silks of trumpeter Maurice Brown, the vibrant dashiki of drummer Tony Austin and space-age cyclops sunglasses of pianist Cameron Graves. “It’s important everyone I play with [lets] their individuality shine,” Washington says. “When you channel that spirit, the only thing left is yourself. If you don’t already have a strong idea of what that self is, the music will beat you down!”

Thankfully, Washington has not only his band members but also his father, flute and soprano sax player Rickey Washington, flanking him onstage. At the soundcheck earlier in the day, Washington Sr ran through a moving solo rendition of Amazing Grace to warm up, while during the show he alternates bursts of ethereal flute melody with breaks where he shuffles to the side of the stage to film his son soloing like any proud father with an iPhone would do. 

“As a kid my dad made the decision not to tour so he could raise his family, and after The Epic, he had retired from teaching music so we took him out on the road,” says Kamasi. “He’s been with us ever since and it’s like he’s 73 going on 11 – he has more energy than the rest of us!”

The family affair often features Washington’s five-year-old daughter, who was on the road with the band during their previous European tour. “She loves being on the bus and being part of the chaos,” he says, smiling. “Who knows, she might get the bug to make music of her own one day.”

Washington has a second show to prepare for this evening. There will be more music to pull from the ether, more ancestors to honour, and a high likelihood of blowing several more minds.

Illustration by Oscar Ingham/Observer Design