West Coast Get Down
The West Coast Get Down is an American jazz collective formed in Los Angeles in 2006. Its members include saxophonist Kamasi Washington, bassists Miles Mosley and Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner, drummers Ronald Bruner Jr. and Tony Austin, pianists Cameron Graves and Brandon Coleman, trombonist Ryan Porter, and multi-instrumentalist Terrace Martin. Most of the members of the group gained prominence for their contributions to Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed album To Pimp a Butterfly (2015).[2]
West Coast Get Down
Los Angeles, California
2009–present
- Miles Mosley
- Kamasi Washington
- Terrace Martin
- Ryan Porter
- Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner
- Ronald Bruner Jr.
- Tony Austin
- Cameron Graves
- Brandon Coleman
- Patrice Quinn
Described as the "Wu-Tang Clan of jazz,"[3] the collective has been hailed for "revitalizing jazz for younger audiences."[1][4][5]
History[edit]
1993–2009: Origins[edit]
Each member of the collective grew up in Los Angeles County.[2] Though they attended different high schools, they were first brought together in 1993 thanks to Locke High School music educator Reggie Andrews, who led an extracurricular music ensemble in Watts called the Multi-School Jazz Band; and Barbara Sealy and Robert Brodhead, who raised funds for Andrews after-school programs through the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz.[6][7] Members of this band include Kamasi Washington (saxophone), brothers Stephen Bruner (bass) and Ronald Bruner Jr. (drums), Miles Mosley (bass), Tony Austin (drums), Brandon Coleman (keyboard), Cameron Graves (piano), and Ryan Porter (trombone).[8][9]
As high schoolers, the group held some of their jam sessions in Washington's garage studio, affectionately dubbed "the Shack."[2] and at after-school programs and gigs around the City of LA, procured and produced by Andrews and Sealy. The larger group began performing at jazz clubs throughout Los Angeles after graduation, including at the World Stage, an African-American arts space in Leimert Park founded by jazz drummer Billy Higgins, and at the coffee shop 5th Street Dick's.
The group, occasionally joined by vocalist Patrice Quinn, also had a residency at the Piano Bar, a Hollywood bar venue that became the group's home after Mosley created a space for them to perform when they were back off the road from their various tours. In 2008, Mosley led the twice-weekly performing residency at the Piano Bar that would last eight years until the space closed in 2016.[2][10] The West Coast Get Down collective was officially established at the Piano Bar in 2009, with Mosley as its founder.