Kamasi Washington debuts the Jenn Nkiru-directed video for ‘Hub-Tones’ today—watch it below! ‘Hub-Tones’ is taken from Washington’s massively acclaimed new album Heaven and Earth, released in June on Young Turks.
“Hub-Tones is me trying to connect my ancestors via music,” says Washington. “As an African-American, a lot of us don’t know the country of our origin, that’s why most of us take on the ideology of Pan-Africanism. I was trying to connect to my ancestors by connecting African rhythms with a Freddie Hubbard tune which gave me that connection in a different way.”
Meanwhile, director Jenn Nkiru adds “With the visual for Hub-Tones, I wanted to invoke the immediate ecstatic connection it gave me: There’s a traditional ceremony called Oboni in the Ikwerre tribe, my parents’ tribe — the tribe of my heritage. The idea is through repetition, instrumentation and movement, to channel spirit, going deeper and deeper with the changing of each tone within the music till it becomes hypnotic and transcendent. I felt this level of immediate connection to Hub-Tones plus with this being a Freddie Hubbard cover and him being the king of tones in jazz it all felt so symbiotic and fated. I then went about giving the women featured the choreography, movement and codes to take us deeper into that spirit-space. I was also thinking about what an abstract Pan – African connection could feel like so I included the Pan African Flag For The Relic Travellers’ Alliance by artist Larry Achiampong, make-up and crystal adornment in the style of Nina Simone and the lighting seen in the courthouse of the hearings of Anita Hill and of course — the call to Nation Time emblazoned on the sashes of each women. There are other hidden gems too but i’ll allow the audience to uncover them”
Among a host of acclaimed work, London-based director Nkiru recently collaborated on Beyonce and Jay Z’s much talked-about ‘APESHIT’ video. She is current a resident artist at Somerset House (more information HERE) and will celebrate the release of the ‘Hub-Tones’ video with a real world screening at the studio on the evening of Wednesday 17th October.
“It feels as if Washington really is on a higher mission, reaching beyond jazz to deliver a jubilant celebration of music itself” – Q MAGAZINE
“Lavish, portentous, aware of its political significance, Heaven and Earth also swings like crazy, and the seriousness of the endeavour never detracts from the warm-hearted way in which Washington reframes jazz history for both neophytes and connoisseurs” – MOJO
“The title promises something gigantic, and the contents deliver… There’s no denying Kamasi Washington has captured his moment. This is the rare jazz record that feels equipped to venture outside the genre’s familiar borders and engage with the wider world. In an era of division and tension, its embrace of tradition and its boldness of spirit feel not just welcome, but revitalising” – UNCUT
“In another life, the saxophonist Washington might have been a film director specializing in grandiose productions…Drawing on the inclusive spirit of seventies soul jazz and utilizing massed strings, vocals, and a contingent of eclectic improvisers, Washington creates his effect by painting with sweeping brushstrokes.”—THE NEW YORKER
“Truly transcendent…[Washington’s] vast, refreshingly lavish soundworld is well worth getting lost in.”—ROLLING STONE
