2017 · Album
Harmony of Difference
Young Turks · Released: September 29, 2017 · Format: Studio EP
Washington's Ensemble in Miniature
A compact showcase where Washington's saxophone leads conversations rather than pronounces verdicts.
Harmony of Difference arrives as a brief statement — an EP, not a full album, which matters because it feels deliberately scaled. This is Washington working in restraint, letting space breathe between phrases. The saxophone dominates but doesn't dominate everything. You hear actual exchanges happening: instruments listening to each other, responding, sometimes disagreeing in the friendliest way. The sound is clean and spacious, the kind of recording where you notice what's not happening as much as what is.
This sits apart from Washington's larger orchestral work. Where his earlier full-length recordings build toward sweeping arrangements and layered textures, Harmony of Difference is lean. It's closer to a working group feeling out ideas than a finished statement. Some listeners will find that refreshing — the sound of a musician thinking in real time. Others might want more meat on the bone. It's a solid mid-career move, the kind of thing an artist makes to stay sharp between bigger projects.
The EP was released through Young Turks in 2017, which places it early in a particularly fertile stretch for Washington. By this point he had already established himself as a singular voice in contemporary jazz, so this smaller project reads differently than it would have early in his career. It's not essential to his catalog, but if you're curious about how he sounds when he's working compact and conversational rather than expansive, this is worth hearing.
Who's playing
Miles Mosleydouble bass
Thundercatelectric bass guitar
Cameron Gravespiano
Matt Hazeguitar
Kamasi Washingtontenor saxophone
Terrace Martinalto saxophone
Dontae Winslowtrumpet
Ryan Portertrombone
Rickey Washingtonflute
Tony Austindrums
Ronald Bruner Jr.drums
Nick Mancinivibraphone
Brandon Colemankeyboard
Paul Cartwrightviolin
Tylana Enomotoviolin
Peter Jacobsoncello
Artyom Manukyancello
Molly Rogersviola
Jen Simoneviolin
Andrea Whittviola
Chris Woodsviolin
Where next?
More by Kamasi Washington
All 12 albums →
The musicians on this record
Their own records, close in time
