Kamasi Washington’s second album Heaven & Earth is set for release on Friday 22nd June. Two songs from the double album debut today, listen to Earth’s ‘Fists of Fury’ and Heaven’s ‘The Space Travellers Lullaby’ below.
Heaven & Earth is comprised of two halves, which find Washington confronting quotidian realities with cosmic themes. A further investigation of Washington’s world building ideas, the new album explores his reckoning with current global chaos and his vision for the future.
‘Fists of Fury’ and ‘The Space Travellers Lullaby’ are accompanied with a pair of scenes created by British artist and director Jenn Nkiru. The rich visual contextualisations are inspired by a more expansive collaborative Heaven & Earth film project that is due later in the year.
Washington convened his band, The Next Step, as well as members of the long running collective The West Coast Get Down at Henson Studios in Los Angeles to record on Heaven & Earth. The music was composed, written and arranged by Washington, with new arrangements of jazz and bebop legend Freddie Hubbard’s “Hubtones” and kung fu film theme “Fists of Fury”, as well as one song by bandmate Ryan Porter. Thundercat, Terrace Martin, Ronald Bruner, Jr., Cameron Graves, Brandon Coleman, Miles Mosley, Patrice Quinn, Tony Austin and many more contribute to the album.
Heaven & Earth, over two and a half hours of music, will be available on double deluxe CD and a four piece vinyl housed in bespoke double gatefold sleeve, in addition to all digital services and is available for pre-order here.
Stream / purchase ‘Fists of Fury’: https://kamasiwashington.lnk.to/fistsoffury
Stream / purchase ‘The Space Travellers Lullaby’ here.
