From his debut in Tim Berne and Mary Halvorson’s bands some 15 years ago, to his recent work with Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog, drummer-percussionist Ches Smith has always been an accompanist of notable talent, but his work as a leader-composer is no less impressive. 2021’s Path Of Seven Colours was a brilliant investigation of Haitian music and culture, and Laugh Ash is a pleasing turn towards stylistic ground that is as invigorating as it is hard to classify.

Backed by an all-star band that includes saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, clarinetist Oscar Noriega and flautist Anna Weber, Smith has created songs that have some of the imprint of hard hitting contemporary dance beats in which a heavy low end and rhythmic zest in the metal percussion jump out from the git-go. None of this compromises the timbral finesse that marked Smith’s previous work, and the seamless incorporation of passages of thoughtful spoken word, uncommon tonalities and horn and string motifs which sometimes spin and swirl like ribbons in the wind makes for a layered sound that is not forbiddingly dense.

Smith’s performance and compositions are excellent but his careful deployment of electronics is also decisive for the way that it has enabled him to craft music that feels very produced, if not sculpted, as well as organically played.