Label: Young, 2024

Personnel includes - Kamasi Washington: tenor and alto sax; Dontae Winslow: trumpet; Ryan Porter: trombone; Patrice Quinn: vocals; Brandon Coleman: keyboards, key bass, vocoder; Cameron Graves: piano; Woody Aplanalp: guitar; Miles Mosley: bass; Ronald Bruner Jr.: drums; Tony Austin: drums.
CD1 guests include: Thundercat: electric bass (#2,4); DJ Battlecat: turntables (#2), talkbox (#5); Taj Austin: vocals (#2); Raj Austin: vocals (#2); Terrace Martin: alto sax (#3); George Clinton: vocals (#4); D Smoke: vocals (#4); André 3000: flutes (#6); Mono/Poly: synths (#6).
CD2 guests include: BJ the Chicago Kid: vocals (#1); Dwight Trible: vocals (#2,5); Ben Williams: double bass (#7).

Laced with electric styles and interests, Fearless Movement, the fifth studio album from the spectacularly soulful saxophonist and composer Kamasi Washington, focuses on the earthly while radiating plenty of spiritual illumination. The LA-based saxophonist follows up his last record, Heaven and Earth (2018), with another one just as good, playing alongside regular bandmates and a few special guests. His colorful musical universe remains anchored in post-bop, funk, soul, and hip-hop, with the grandiose sounding arrangements on this double album being shaped by various architects.

Brimming with prayerful, epic, and spiritual enlightenment, “Lesanu” makes for a killing start, with pianist Cameron Graves taking the improvisational lead over a deep, compelling pocket before Washington’s majestic phraseology take fervent expression. “Asha the First” was written for his first daughter, who wrote the melody on piano. This richly layered piece features a vibrant beat, a busy electric bass solo by Thundercat, bilateral rapping by brothers Taj and Raj Austin, and the skilled turntablism of DJ Battlecat.

“Computer Love” is a gentle soul cut sung by Patrice Quinn, while “Get Lit”, featuring funk music icon George Clinton (from Parliament-Funkadelic) and rapper D Smoke, is a hip-hop incursion softened by R&B elements. The CD1 closer, “Dream State”, arranged by Andre 3000, who also plays flute, evolves from a hypnotic state - with deftly deployed electronics, gorgeous keyboard bass, and freely rambling horns - into a groovy funk romp loaded with infectious bass lines and cool drumming.

CD2 includes some of the most exciting tracks: “The Garden Path” shines with heroic chanting and prismatic modality, complemented by superb solos from Washington, trumpeter Dontae Winslow, and trombonist Ryan Porter. “Road to Self (KO)” features an uplifting bass groove in seven, balancing chilled-out crosscurrents and expansive soloing. “Interstellar Peace” offers airy spaciousness with its ternary feel, and Astor Piazzola’s “Prologue”, suggested by bassist Miles Mosley, closes out the album as a post-bop catharsis delivered at a galloping rhythm.

This inspiringly lush opus glows with newfound potential, and Washington keeps everyone motivated for what comes next.