Ches Smith: Laugh Ash at Roulette

In his new chamber noise ensemble Laugh Ash, Ches Smith debuts three new pieces that explore orchestrational commonalities and incongruences among acoustic instruments and electronic sounds. With an ensemble drawing from the worlds of contemporary concert music and new jazz, the writing draws on both traditions, with Smith’s electronics providing a beat, a noise factor, or an enhanced orchestration. To further this element, producer / engineer / musician Eli Crews will be providing live sound manipulation.

Laugh Ash is a new ensemble assembled by drummer, percussionist and composer Ches Smith in which the intricacies of chamber ensemble composition are morphed through a lens of low-fi hip hop, damaged electronics, and block structures. The group consists of a mix of players at the forefront of New York City’s new music and jazz scenes: Jennifer Choi, Anna Webber, Nate Wooley, Oscar Noriega, Michael Nicolas, and Eli Crews....

read more

In his new chamber noise ensemble Laugh Ash, Ches Smith debuts three new pieces that explore orchestrational commonalities and incongruences among acoustic instruments and electronic sounds. With an ensemble drawing from the worlds of contemporary concert music and new jazz, the writing draws on both traditions, with Smith’s electronics providing a beat, a noise factor, or an enhanced orchestration. To further this element, producer / engineer / musician Eli Crews will be providing live sound manipulation.

Laugh Ash is a new ensemble assembled by drummer, percussionist and composer Ches Smith in which the intricacies of chamber ensemble composition are morphed through a lens of low-fi hip hop, damaged electronics, and block structures. The group consists of a mix of players at the forefront of New York City’s new music and jazz scenes: Jennifer Choi, Anna Webber, Nate Wooley, Oscar Noriega, Michael Nicolas, and Eli Crews.

In addition to leading his own bands These Arches, Ches Smith Trio (with Craig Taborn and Mat Maneri) and We All Break, Ches Smith also works as a side musician, playing drums and percussion with Marc Ribot, Tim Berne, Mary Halvorson, the Dave Douglas and Lee Konitz Quintet, Darius Jones, Matt Mitchell, John Zorn, Secret Chiefs 3, Terry Riley and many others. He also collaborates in the doom-improv trio Tanks with Brandon Seabrook and Toby Driver, and free jazz duo Good for Cows with Devin Hoff.

show less