On June 22nd, contemporary jazz torch-bearer Kamasi Washington officially released his new double album, Heaven And Earth, marking Washington’s first release since his 2017 audiovisual concept EP Harmony of Difference and his first full-length effort since his aptly named 2015 effort, The Epic. However, as reported by The Vinyl Factory, the 4xLP edition of the celebrated album contained a secret surprise for fans: an additional fifth vinyl record titled The Choice, which contained 40 additional minutes of music.

The new #kamasiwashington album has a 5th #vinyl disc hidden in the spine of the cover. While it pains me to cut into the beautiful packaging, it’s well worth the risk. The album is amazing by the way. buy it now, you’ll love it. #jazz #youngturksrecordings pic.twitter.com/4SZbRBuSqB — Til Breidenbach (@tilmobaxter) June 21, 2018

While Heaven & Earth was already ambitious, to say the least, it seems that Kamasi Washington had a tough time cutting down the length of the 144-minute double album. Thus, a special follow-up EP was born. Luckily for fans who didn’t snag the LP set, The Choice was just released to major streaming services today.

Kamasi Washington’s The Choice features five songs. Three are totally previously unreleased songs titled “The Secret of Jinsinson,” “My Family,” and “Agents of Multiverse”. The new EP also features an inventive new take on Chicago soul group Five Fairsteps’ classic hit “Ooh Child” as well as a sprawling 10-minute rendition of Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”.

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start">﻿</span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start">﻿</span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start">﻿</span><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start">﻿</span>

Kamasi Washington is currently on tour to support the new album, with an extensive schedule of dates set to keep him on the road consistently through mid-November. For a full list of Kamasi’s upcoming tour dates, see below. For more information, or to grab your tickets, head to his website.

