My hope is that witnessing the beautiful harmony created by merging different musical melodies will help people realize the beauty in our… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share Image
People like to compartmentalise music, especially African-American music, but it's really one thing. One very wide thing. I mean, it's like all… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share Image
We've played so many places where, if you asked people, 'Do you like jazz?' they would be like, 'Not at all.' But… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share Image
My dad was a professional musician; my mom played, too, but just for fun. All my siblings played. The house was full… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share Image
Every time you learn a new language, your understanding of language overall grows, so every time I would learn new music, my… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share Image
When I started saxophone, my dad took me to my uncle's church, and I started playing there, too. At its best, music… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share Image
My dad's also a musician, so jazz was always around the house. When I was 11, I developed an interest in it,… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share Image
A legacy is a lot of times determined by how people accept your music. And sometimes people's legacy starts late or starts… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share Image
I kept thinking about how ironic it is how people who live in places where there is diversity tend to love it… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share Image
Every day we're here is an opportunity to do what we can to make the world right, to help someone close or far from… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
I was hearing music in my head and trying to play it on the clarinet, but it didn't match.' Then, literally the first day,… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
So much good music has been looked over because of preconceived notions of genre. — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
It's either, like, 'Your album was the first jazz album I listened to,' or, like, 'My friend took me to this show, and I've… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
This precious thing of empathy and love and understanding is something we have to hold and appreciate and protect. — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
By the time I was about 15, I was out playing gigs and knew I was going to be a musician. — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
We learned at a young age, with our dad, that even if you weren't doing something, you had to look like you were, or… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
West Coast hip hop was the sound of my neighbourhood. It was something I could relate to because it had a sound that felt… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
We've played so many places where, if you asked people, 'Do you like jazz?' they would be like, 'Not at all.' But I think… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
In the '80s, a lot of kids, if you were kind of bright, you got bussed to schools out of your community. So you… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
Jazz is like a telescope, and a lot of other music is like a microscope. — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
At a certain point, when there's a barrier between you and what's right, eventually you have to decide you're not going to allow yourself… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
I started playing drums at three, then piano at five, then clarinet. But it wasn't till I picked up a saxophone aged 13 that… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
You have to dig deep to make great music, and it gets harder and harder. It's a difficult, painful process to reach deep in… — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
Fela Kuti blew my mind. His playing is very unorthodox, but I learned how to appreciate that. — Kamasi Washington Copy Share
