Kamasi Washington @ Manchester Academy 2, 28 June

Though he may be best known to many as the saxophonist who helped flesh out Kendrick Lamar’s game-changing To Pimp a Butterfly, Kamasi Washington has been on the verge of becoming a legitimate jazz great for some time. Based on tonight’s performance, that title would be well deserved.  

From the shimmering introduction of opener Askim, Washington demonstrates his skill as a remarkable improviser – from warm, melodic lower passages, rising up through fluid sheets of sound, building to intense, raw and soaring howls. There’s a punch to his phrasing, however, that roots Washington’s playing in the present day – no doubt a trace of a youth immersed in hip-hop – evident in tonight’s P-Funk reimagining of Final Thought.

It’s Washington's father Ricky who should allegedly take credit for his son’s introduction to jazz – he provides some especially tender flute passages on the tribute to Kamasi’s grandmother, Henrietta Our Hero, sung with fantastic grace by vocalist Patrice Quinn.

Other band members have apparently also played significant roles in Washington’s development, and the band leader’s cool charm shines in sharing anecdotes to introduce his two drummers Tony Austin and Ronald Bruner Jr – followed by a stunning “conversation” between the two, building New Orleans swing up to dazzling percussive outpouring.

It may be splitting hairs to say that tonight’s set leans towards the less edgy regions of Washington’s repertoire, but with the extraordinarily lush closing sections of The Rhythm Changes, the recurring themes of love, peace and unity – which could so easily seem trite or insincere – remain genuine, vital and powerful.