Groundbreaking artist Kamasi Washington’s highly anticipated second album Heaven & Earth is set for release June 22 via Young Turks & Rhythmethod in New Zealand.
The long-awaited follow up to Washington’s The Epic, 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 Travelers Lullaby’ debut today alongside a pair of accompanying scenes created by acclaimed British artist and director Jenn Nkiru. The rich visual contextualisations are inspired by a more expansive collaborative Heaven & Earth film project that is due for release later in the year. Watch the scenes below.
listen to Earth’s ‘Fists of Fury’ here and Heaven’s ‘The Space Travelers Lullaby’ here.
Watch Jenn Nkiru’s ‘Fists Of Fury’
and ‘Space Travelers Lullaby’
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 the 16 tracks 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 iconic 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.
I. EARTH
1. Fists of Fury
2. Can You Hear Him
3. Hubtones
4. Connections
5. Tiffakonkae
6. The Invincible Youth
7. Testify
8. One of One
II. HEAVEN
9. The Space Travelers Lullaby
10. Vi Lua Vi Sol
11. Street Fighter Mas
12. Song for the Fallen
13. Journey
14. The Psalmnist
15. Show Us the Way
16. Will You Sing
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