Jazz trailblazer Kamasi Washington has announced a new album, Fearless Movement, due May 3 via Young (pre-order). He calls it his dance album, and adds, “It’s not literal. 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.”
The album was also inspired by Kamasi becoming a father, and his daughter wrote the melody to one song (“Asha The First”) during some of her first experimentations on the piano. “Being a father means the horizon of your life all of a sudden shows up,” he says. “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 album features André 3000 on flute; vocals from George Clinton, BJ the Chicago Kid, D-Smoke, and Taj & Ras Austin of Coast Contra; and Thundercat, Terrace Martin, Patrice Quinn, Brandon Coleman, DJ Battlecat, and more. Kamasi just released the stirring, eight-and-a-half minute closing track “Prologue,” with a AG Rojas-directed video, and the album also includes his 2022 single “The Garden Path.” Check out both below.
Kamasi also announced a tour, kicking off with a NYC show on May 4 at Beacon Theatre. Tickets go on sale Friday (3/8) at 10 AM local with presales beforehand. All dates are listed below.
Tracklist
1. Lesanu
2. Asha The First (featuring Thundercat, Taj Austin, Ras Austin)
3. Computer Love (featuring Patrice Quinn, DJ Battlecat, Brandon Coleman)
4. The Visionary (featuring Terrace Martin)
5. Get Lit (featuring George Clinton, D Smoke)
6. Dream State (featuring André 3000)
7. Together (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid)
8. The Garden Path
9. Interstellar Peace (The Last Stance)
10. Road to Self (KO)
11. Lines in the Sand
12. Prologue
Kamasi Washington — 2024 Tour Dates
May 4—New York, NY—Beacon Theatre
May 5—Philadelphia, PA—Union Transfer
May 7—Toronto, QC—History
May 8—Cincinnati, OH—Ludlow Garage
May 9—Detroit, MI—St. Andrews Hall
May 10—Chicago, IL—Thalia Hall
May 11—St. Paul, MN—Fitzgerald Theater
May 12—Omaha, NB—Slowdown
May 14—Houston, TX—House of Blues Houston
May 15—Dallas, TX—House of Blues Dallas
May 16—San Antonio, TX—Empire Theater
May 17—Austin, TX—Empire Garage
May 30—Vancouver, BC—The Vogue Theatre
May 31—Seattle, WA—The Showbox
June 1—Eugene, OR—McDonald Theatre
June 2—Portland, OR—Crystal Ballroom
June 5—Sacramento, CA—Crest Theatre
June 6—Monterey, CA—Golden State Theatre
June 7—San Francisco, CA—Warfield
June 8—Santa Cruz, CA—The Catalyst
June 9—Solana Beach, CA—Belly Up
June 11—Mesa, AZ—Mesa Arts Center
June 16—Los Angeles, CA—Hollywood Bowl Jazz Fest
July 31—Alexandria, VA—The Birchmere