The Optimist

Trombonist Ryan Porter has gained exposure with saxophone sensation Kamasi Washington, but *The Optimist*, his debut, was recorded some years before Washington hit the limelight. The grooves run from sultry to driving and powerful, with open, ecstatic stretches of improvisation, on tracks like “Anaya” and “The Instrumental Hip-Hoppa.” It’s a sound that runs through the blood of West Coast Get Down—through players like pianist Cameron Graves, bassist Miles Mosley, and Washington himself. They acquit themselves well here, buoyed by Porter’s big tone and pliant legato lyricism.

On February 23, 2018, West Coast Get Down's Ryan Porter will launch the 2CD / 3LP set The Optimist on World Galaxy. The Optimist pulls together veterans of the LA music scene, including West Coast Get Down alumni Kamasi Washington (tenor saxophone), Miles Mosley (upright bass), Cameron Graves (piano, fender rhodes), Tony Austin (drums), Jumaane Smith (trumpet), Edward Livingston (upright bass), Aaron Haggerty (drums), Brandon Coleman (fender rhodes), Dominic Therioux (electric bass), Robert Miller (drums), and Lyndon Rochelle (drums). The Optimist was recorded at Kamasi's parents house between 2008 and 2009, captured inside a small tiny basement area their crew called "The Shack." This was before The Epic catapulted the group into the highest stratospheres of jazz music and feature associations started to populate through the world of Kendrick Lamar. Ryan Porter has spread his craft to the masses for decades, included on critically acclaimed albums such as the Original Netflix Series soundtrack The Get Down, Push The Sky Away from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Epic LP and Truth EP from Kamasi Washington, To Pimp A Butterfly from Kendrick Lamar, and many more. The Optimist represents these albums and the incubation period that's continually reverberated through his career, seasoned with the brilliance these individuals build on as a unified cell.

Pay attention to the title of Ryan Porter's triple LP. The Optimist describes the artist, while optimism more generally defines the 100-minu...