American jazz saxophonist and founding member of the jazz collective West Coast Get Down, Kamasi Washington finally made it to Dublin’s 3Olympia after having to postponed the original date due to a back injury.
Well the weather is hotting up here and so were the vibes in 3Olympia as the venue steadily filled up and 8 o’clock came round with opening act Emma-Jean Thackray taking the stage to kick things off warming the already packed venue up nicely with her blend of Nu-jazz & house mix
At the intro to one track a taped voice could be heard saying, you’l never get the over 30s to like acid jazz, well judging by reactions this may not be true anymore lol.
After a short break and stage setup Kamasi and band walked out on to the stage to huge applause and cheers, what one would be expect for one of the modern jazz giants.
Once the band started up it was silence from the crowd as the sound of the saxophone filled the room and that was the setting for each and every track to follow.
Between track Kamasi entertained the crowd with some insights and anecdotes, but it was the music that really kept everyone captivated.
Emma-Jean Thackray photos:
Kamasi Washington photos:
Photos & words – Ian Mc Donnell @mcgigmusic