Ches Smith - Laugh Ash '2024

Tracks list

Xiu Xiu, John Zorn, Mr. Bungle, Kris Davis, Terry Riley, Carla Bozulich, Wadada
Leo Smith—these are just some of the artists that drummer and composer
Ches Smith has played with. Like Zorn and Mr. Bungle, Smith employs striking
stylistic gear shifts on his 2024 release, Laugh Ash—often in a single
composition. Zorn is well-known for postmodern pastiches that smash genres
together, creating thrillingly harsh and, at times, comical juxtapositions.
Smith's pieces work in a different way; his transitions might surprise, but they
don't have the jump-cut quality of Zorn's mash-ups. The music here has a sense
of cohesive flow and a distinctive vibe that's brought to life by a top-notch
ten-person ensemble.

Smith has frequently played in jazz contexts, but don't look for a lot of jazz
drumming on the album. Instead, prog, funk, and dance beats (at times
electronic), whose directness nicely contrasts with the often-thorny
arrangements, predominate. On "The Most Fucked," Smith also incorporates
clattering Carribean/African rhythms.

Vocalist Shara Lunon handles the tricky melodies on Laugh Ash with great aplomb,
and her talk-singing on "Minimalism" and "Sweatered Webs (Hey Mom)" recalls
old-school hip-hop. "Winter Sprung" opens with tubular bells before Lunon
intones an imagistic poem addressing climate change. (Lunon wrote the poem as
well as the album's lyrics.) Each utterance precisely plays off of slippery
strings, Anna Webber's darting flute, and resonant melodic percussion. The
piece's second section glows with the hope of early morning light, while the
last part features insistent patterns that create a sense of mystery. 

Tracklist:
1.01 - Ches Smith - Minimalism (2:25) 
1.02 - Ches Smith - Remote Convivial (4:16) 
1.03 - Ches Smith - Sweatered Webs (Hey Mom) (7:26) 
1.04 - Ches Smith - Shaken, Stirred Silence (7:21) 
1.05 - Ches Smith - The Most Fucked (3:50) 
1.06 - Ches Smith - Winter Sprung (6:21) 
1.07 - Ches Smith - Disco Inferred (6:25) 
1.08 - Ches Smith - Unyielding Daydream Welding (4:16) 
1.09 - Ches Smith - Exit Shivers (8:31)

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