The release of Kamasi Washington's 'The Epic' marked a seismic shift in the jazz landscape and the game-changing arrival of the genre-blurring Los Angeles collective West Coast Get Down. That evolution continues with the release of 'Planetary Prince', the debut album by visionary pianist, keyboardist, composer and WCGD founding member Cameron Graves, featuring Kamasi Washington and Thundercat.
'Planetery Prince' is packed with the same mind-expanding invention that marked all of the work previously generated by the WCGD - including 'The Epic' (which prominently featured Graves throughout its three discs). These releases have marked a seismic shift in the jazz landscape and the game-changing arrival of the genre-blurring Los Angeles collective West Coast Get Down blending elements of Jazz, Classical, Rock and Hip-Hop.
The core of the band is made up of fellow West Coast Get Down members: tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington, trombonist Ryan Porter, bassist Stephen Thundercat Bruner, and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr. To their ranks are added trumpeter Philip Dizack and bassist Hadrien Feraud, both key members of the groundbreaking modern L.A. jazz scene.
All of the songs from 'Planetary Prince' share the same cosmic perspective. Most notably Andromeda was sparked by striking images of the Andromeda Galaxy, sister galaxy to the Milky Way and Earth's closest neighbor in the universe. Isle of Love is an imagined destination populated by a race of pure love. El Diablo takes a slightly more playful approach to the ferocious rhythmic churn of Satania, this time anchoring it with a buoyant, elastic groove and unleashing Stephen Thundercat Bruner for a supernova solo. Finally, End of Corporatism asserts a political message by way of a bristling, abstract funk that highlights the interplay of Graves' fleet, fluid keyboard skills and the supple power of his bassists.
Cameron Graves is a musical genius. He has an innovative approach to the piano that is completely unique. Cameron's new album 'Planetary Prince' is an amazing and almost unbelievable combination of modal jazz, romantic era European classical music, and mathematical death metal. A style so cool that it deserves it's own genre. Cameron's music has been inspiring me since I was thirteen years old and it still does today! I'm so glad he's sharing it with the world! - Kamasi Washington
