If you have not made the drive up to Higher Ground in South Burlington for a show, a Monday night with Kamasi Washington is a good place to start. The 750-capacity Ballroom is one of the most respected independent venues in the Northeast, and Washington is the kind of artist who gives a room like that its full moment.
About Kamasi Washington
Washington is a saxophonist, composer, and bandleader from Leimert Park, Los Angeles — a neighborhood he describes as one where “the intersection between jazz and hip hop is intertwined.” That background is embedded in everything he does. He came up through the West Coast Get Down collective and introduced himself to the wider world in 2015 with The Epic, a three-disc debut on Brainfeeder Records recorded with a 32-person orchestra and 20-member choir. It landed like a statement.
Since then the credits have stacked up. He played saxophone on Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy-winning To Pimp a Butterfly, scored the Michelle Obama documentary Becoming (earning Grammy and Primetime Emmy nominations), and co-founded the jazz-hip-hop supergroup Dinner Party with Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, and 9th Wonder. His most recent album, Fearless Movement, shifts toward more rhythmic, dance-oriented compositions without losing the orchestral ambition that defined his debut.
This summer he is playing Newport Jazz Festival 2026 alongside Herbie Hancock and Jon Batiste. The June 29 South Burlington date sits in the middle of an active Northeast stretch.
The Venue
Higher Ground is located at 1214 Williston Road in South Burlington, VT (highergroundmusic.com). Doors open at 7:30 PM for an 8:00 PM show. The Ballroom holds 750. All ages. If you are coming from the North Country or making the longer drive from Syracuse, this is a show worth building your evening around.
Tickets
Tickets are $45–$50 via See Tickets. Washington is on a short Northeast run — move on this one before the room fills up.