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Kamasi Washington will return this summer with a new EP titled Harmony of Difference. The six-movement suite represents the first piece of new material since his acclaimed 2015 album, The Epic, as well as his first release for iconic label Young Turks (The xx, Sampha).
According to a press release, the forthcoming collection “explores the philosophical possibilities of the musical technique known as ‘counterpoint,’” which the avant-garde jazz maestro interprets as “the art of balancing similarity and difference to create harmony between separate melodies.”
“My hope is that witnessing the beautiful harmony created by merging different musical melodies will help people realize the beauty in our own differences,” explains Washington, who recently contributed to projects from Run the Jewels, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat.
To drive this point home, Washington has shared the EP track “Truth”, whose video shows the harmoniousness shared between disparate communities from South Central and East Los Angeles. The clip was directed by A.G. Rojas, known for his work with Earl Sweatshirt and Jamie xx.
Check out “Truth” below.
Harmony of Difference previously premiered as part of this year’s Whitney Biennial alongside a film by Rojas which also featured artwork by Washington’s sister Amani Washington.