Kamasi Washington Brought The Epic to the Regent

Kamasi Washington’s May 2015 release celebration for The Epic needed room for more than a working jazz band. At the Regent Theater in Los Angeles, he assembled his ensemble alongside a choir, strings and guests to present the album onstage.

The May 4 performance became the subject of Jazz Night in America’s concert documentary. That recording lets listeners connect the album’s scale to the musicians actually making it, rather than treating its large arrangements as a studio construction.

The Regent was a hometown meeting place for that presentation. Musicians with long personal connections gathered around Washington’s new record, and the cameras carried their work to a wider audience. The release show remains a documented point where The Epic moved from an album into a shared live performance.

Explore The Regent Theater on CouchLot.

Sources: hawaiipublicradio.org; pitchfork.com.