Treble in the family

When Kamasi Washington takes the stage, his towering 6” 3” frame and flowing locks create an almost mythical presence, commanding attention before he even lifts his tenor saxophone to his lips.

- Sanjoy Narayan

The Los Angeles-born virtuoso has emerged as the defining voice of modern jazz's renaissance, weaving together spiritual and expansive compositions that blur the lines between jazz, hip-hop, classical music, and R&B, with an intensity that feels both ancient and futuristic.

As co-founder of the West Coast Get Down collective, alongside artists such as Thundercat and Cameron Graves, Washington, 44, represents a generation that has breathed new life into jazz, making it urgent and essential again. One of the ways he does this is by connecting directly with his audience.

Late last month, when he strode onto the stage at Helsinki’s Kulttuuri-talo (House of Culture) in his trademark dashiki, the crowd likely hadn't expected the intimate talk that accompanied the music. After opening his set with Street Fighter Mas, a 2018 track that marries sophisticated jazz with groovy funk, and following it with Lesanu (2024), a spiritual jazz piece featuring African vocals, he sat down on a stool and spoke.