Over the next year Kamasi’s development and devotion to music had out grown his academic environment. So he transferred from The Los Angeles Center of Enriched Studies (one the top academic high schools in the nation) and enrolled into the Hamilton High School Music Academy. It was around this time that Kamasi also joined The Multi School Jazz Band (M.S.J.B.), an assembly of the finest young jazz musicians in Los Angeles County and led by Reginald Andrews the same man that taught Kamasi’s father in high school. Because of the sheer vastness of talent that he was surrounded by it was in The Multi School Jazz Band that Kamasi was most inspired during his high school years. Through M.S.J.B. Kamasi was also able to meet, learn, and create relationships with many of his musical idols such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Horse Tapscot, Gerald Wilson, and many others. In Kamasi’s senior year of high school he had the opportunity to compete in the John Coltrane Saxophone competition, in which he received the first place award. As an additional benefit to winning the competition the band of M.S.J.B. members that he assembled to accompany him had such an immediate connection that they decided to stay together and form a group that soon after would be known as “The Young Jazz Giants”.
This fiery group of “Young Giants” wasted no time in spreading their musical wings and flying all over the Los Angeles jazz scene spreading the good news that jazz was still alive and in very good hands. It was during this time that Kamasi became interested in composition and he started writing his own music. Over the next year “The Young Jazz Giants” had really began to develop their own sound and were creating a lot of excitement in their community.
After graduating from high school Kamasi began his studies at U.C.L.A. were the facility included some of the finest musicians in the history of Jazz, such as Kenny Burrell, Billy Higgins, Harold Land, Lew Mathews, Garnett Brown, Jeff Clayton, Gerald Wilson, and many others. By the end of his first year at U.C.L.A. Kamasi began performing with many of his professors. In fact he joined Gerald Wilson’s big band and later became the only member of his regular Los Angeles band to be invited to play on his latest album “In My Time” which was recorded in New York. During the summer after Kamasi’s first year at U.C.L.A. the head of a new record label called “Bird Man Records” heard him playing with “The Young Jazz Giants” and became very interested in making an album with the group. So Kamasi recorded his first album it was called The Young Jazz Giants. The completion of the album seemed like the “big break” for “The Young Jazz Giants” but unforeseen delays in the products release ended in the album being released almost two years after its completion. Ironically the talent level of the group was far too high for any of the members of the band to stay “ready and waiting” for too long, thus “The Young Jazz Giants” unofficially disbanded.
Kamasi began to take interest and became influenced by many other forms of music, from European Classical to Hip Hop. This really opened his mind to the fact that all of the different forms that music takes are equally relevant. From this Kamasi ended up playing with many of the most legendary musicians of the current variety such as Snoop Dog, Raphael Saadiq, and many others. Yet during this time Kamasi despite his newfound respect for all of the forms of music realized that Jazz was still the music that was closest to his heart. So he started a new band that would be able to play the new music that he is creating. The new group is called “The Next Step” and that’s precisely what Kamasi intends on taking.
(2) Kamasi Washington didn't pick up a saxophone until he was 13 years old, but by that point, he'd been playing several other instruments. That's when he found his calling. Within a couple years, he was the lead tenor saxophonist at Hamilton High School Music Academy in his native Los Angeles. After graduation, he attended UCLA to study ethnomusicology. While enrolled at UCLA, he recorded a self-titled album with Young Jazz Giants, a quartet he had formed with Cameron Graves and brothers Ronald Bruner, Jr. and Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner, released in 2004. From that point, Washington continually performed and recorded with an impressive variety of major artists across several genres, including Snoop Dogg, Raphael Saadiq, Gerald Wilson, McCoy Tyner, George Duke, and PJ Morton. In 2014 alone, Washington demonstrated tremendous range with appearances on Broken Bells' After the Disco, Harvey Mason's Chameleon, Stanley Clarke's Up, and Flying Lotus' You're Dead!, among other albums that covered indie rock, contemporary and progressive jazz, and experimental electronic music.
The following year, Washington contributed to Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly and finally debuted as a leader with The Epic, released on Flying Lotus' Brainfeeder label. An expansive triple album nearly three hours in duration, it involved the other three-quarters of Young Jazz Giants -- by then part of his larger ten piece collective, altnerately known as The Next Step and West Coast Get Down-- string orchestra and choir conducted by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson.
The Epic was a critical and commerial success. Not only did it land at number three on the jazz charts, it also found its way on to independent albums and heatseekers charts as well. Washington and his band were not only able to tour the U.S., but to play in Europe and Japan as well. ~ Andy Kellman
Cherokee
Kamasi Washington Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't forget you, Cherokee sweetheart
Child of the prairie, your love keeps calling
My heart enthralling, Cherokee
Dreams of summertime, of lovertime gone by
Throng my memory so tenderly, and sigh. My
Brave Indian Warrior, one day I'll hold you
My arms enfold you, Cherokee
I can't forget you, Cherokee sweetheart
Child of the prairie, your love keeps calling
My heart enthralling, Cherokee
Dreams of summertime, of lovertime gone by
Throng my memory so tenderly, and sigh. My
Brave Indian Warrior, one day I'll hold you
My arms enfold you, Cherokee
The song "Cherokee" by Kamasi Washington is a love song that talks about a Native American woman (Cherokee) who the singer had once met and since then, he can't forget her. The lyrics convey the feeling of nostalgia and the desire to be with her again. The singer refers to the woman as a "child of the prairie" and a "brave Indian warrior" which shows his admiration for her strength and resilience. He talks about how her love keeps calling and enthralling his heart.
The singer remembers the good times they had spent together in the summertime and wishes to relive those moments again. He sings about how her memories are so tender and sighs because he longs to be with her again. The song ends with the singer expressing his desire to hold her someday and enfold her in his arms.
Overall, the song is a beautiful tribute to the Native American culture and the love between two individuals who belong to different worlds.
Line by Line Meaning
Brave Indian Warrior, since first I met you
From the moment I met you, I saw bravery in you that is reminiscent of an Indian warrior.
I can't forget you, Cherokee sweetheart
You have left such an indelible impression on me that I cannot forget you, my beloved Cherokee.
Child of the prairie, your love keeps calling
You are a child of the prairie, and your love for me keeps calling out to me.
My heart enthralling, Cherokee
Your love has captured my heart and made it its captive, my Cherokee.
Dreams of summertime, of lovertime gone by
I often dream of the past when we spent romantic summers together, and it fills me with nostalgia.
Throng my memory so tenderly, and sigh. My
Those memories overwhelm my mind with tenderness, sometimes making me sigh.
Brave Indian Warrior, one day I'll hold you
I long for the day when I can hold you, my fearless warrior.
My arms enfold you, Cherokee
I will wrap my arms around you, holding you closely, my beautiful Cherokee.
Contributed by Carter C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Liam Campbell-Carpenter
It’s amazing how nice the melody sounds when it’s not played at 2,000 bpm!
Rodrigo Odon Salcedo Cisneros
The thing about jazz is that the melody is always appreciated no matter the harmonic/rhythm alchemy the musicians might put it through. That's why standards are played from swing to bebop to cool jazz to avant garde jazz and the melody is still appreciated.
John Classick
😂
Rob’s C
@deadweight lmao
deadweight
goddamn bots bruh
Wahyu Murti Cahyo Putro
@Marcelo Jamari click 'forget password', then it will lead you to your email to change the password
Michael Cross
Never heard of Cherokee or it’s legacy until today. Never heard of Kamasi either until today. This is the first song. My world is changed on so many levels because of the greatness of this experience! The cherry on top is that find out who is singing this song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s absolutely A1!!!!!!!
Jack Myers
Askim popped my Kamasi cherry. Try listening to the whole Epic amen
M2MVault
Thank you ms.quinn.
timmo491
All these great 30's - 50's Jazz tunes keep giving.