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Kamasi Washington On World Cafe

Kamasi Washington, a 34-year-old saxophonist from Los Angeles, is changing the way people think about jazz. His sprawling three-disc debut album, The Epic, is selling well alongside softer, more commercial jazz fare, and his recent East Coast tour drew impressive crowds.

Washington gigs regularly with a cohort of fellow jazz musicians in L.A., and has toured with artists like Snoop Dogg and Chaka Khan, but people really noticed him when he played saxophone and wrote arrangements on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly earlier this year. His contributions to that album have raised his profile and brought more attention to The Epic, which he recorded with his usual band — plus a 32-piece orchestra and a 20-person choir.

On this episode of World Cafe, Washington is joined by an eight-piece band of his L.A. friends in a concert recorded at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. Check out an extended version of "Re Run Home" and the web-exclusive track "Askim" on this page.

Copyright 2015 XPN