Today, sees the release of the new Kamasi Washington Jenn Nkiru-directed video for “Hub-Tones”. The track is taken from Washington’s current release Heaven and Earth, available via Young Turks. Washington, plays tonight in Seattle, WA.

Kamasi Washington on “Hub Tones”:

“Hub-Tones is me trying to connect my ancestors via music,” says Washington. “As an African-American, a lot of us don’t know the country of our origin, that’s why most of us take on the ideology of Pan-Africanism. I was trying to connect to my ancestors by connecting African rhythms with a Freddie Hubbard tune which gave me that connection in a different way.”

director Jenn Nkiru on the video for “Hub Tones”:

“With the visual for Hub-Tones, I wanted to invoke the immediate ecstatic connection it gave me: There’s a traditional ceremony called Oboni in the Ikwerre tribe, my parents’ tribe — the tribe of my heritage. The idea is through repetition, instrumentation and movement, to channel spirit, going deeper and deeper with the changing of each tone within the music till it becomes hypnotic and transcendent. I felt this level of immediate connection to Hub-Tones plus with this being a Freddie Hubbard cover and him being the king of tones in jazz it all felt so symbiotic and fated. I then went about giving the women featured the choreography, movement and codes to take us deeper into that spirit-space. I was also thinking about what an abstract Pan- African connection could feel like so I included the Pan African Flag For The Relic Travellers' Alliance by artist Larry Achiampong, make-up and crystal adornment in the style of Nina Simone and the lighting seen in the courthouse of the hearings of Anita Hill and of course — the call to Nation Time emblazoned on the sashes of each women. There are other hidden gems too but i’ll allow the audience to uncover them”

London-based director Nkiru recently directed 2nd Unit for director Ricky Saiz’s Beyonce and Jay Z’s much talked-about ‘APESHIT’ video. She is current a resident artist at Somerset House (more information HERE ) and will celebrate the release of the “Hub-Tones” video with a real world screening at the studio on the evening of Wednesday 17th October.

KAMASI WASHINGTON LIVE

October 17 Seattle, WA The Showbox
October 18 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
October 19 San Francisco, CA TBA
October 20 San Luis Obispo, CA Fremont Theater
October 21 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
October 22 Santa Fe, NM Meow Wolf
October 24 Salt Lake City, UT The Complex
October 25 Aspen, CO Belly Up
October 26 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
October 27 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater
October 29 Kansas City, MO The Truman
October 31 Iowa City, IA The Englert Theatre
November 1 Saint Paul, MN Palace Theatre
November 2 Madison, WI The Sylvee
November 3 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
November 5 Toronto, CA Sony Centre for The Performing Arts
November 8 Boston, MA Royale
November 9 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
November 10 Washington D.C. Lincoln Theatre
November 11 Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn Steel
November 14 Richmond, VA The National
November 15 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
November 16 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works
November 17 Atlanta, GA Buckhead Theatre