Saxophonist Kamasi Washington has released a new single “Sun Kissed Child” from the Liberated EP, part of The Undefeated’s Music for the Movement series that features tracks by Chlöe Bailey, Cordae and Common. This song also features vocalists Dwight Trible and Patrice Quinn and drummer Ronald Bruner Jr., the elder brother of bassist Thundercat.

“Sun Kissed Child,” is an eight-minute long sonic odyssey, filled with nostalgic throwbacks of 1960s jazz and soul, with trumpets, sax and piano all taking charge with their unique sounds and chord progressions. The vocal parts have more of a lounge feel, giving the track a cool, modal vibe throughout.

Washington is off to a busy year, with a scheduled appearance at the Hollywood Bowl set for this summer alongside hip hop artist Earl Sweatshirt. The performer is known for his unique, transcendental style of jazz, as well as his collaboration with hip hop artists like Kendrick Lamar. On his 2018 album Heaven and Earth, Washington explored themes of spirituality and the material world, while bringing together his unique range of styles.

“When I’m playing this album (Heaven and Earth) for people I often jump back and forth, because there’s an equivalent track on each side,” Washington explained in an interview with The Fader. “This album is a journey between two simultaneous ways of looking at reality that affect each other: experience and imagination; a life your body lives and a life your mind lives. While recording, I realized I had two sides of my music as well. Songs that come from how I experience the world — a side that’s conscious, concerned, reads the newspaper every day and is very earthbound — and a side that can stare out the window.”

Photo Credit: Mauricio Alvarado