Ash Walker: Astronaught

London DJ Ash Walker came to attention in 2019 with Aquamarine (Night Time Stories), a butterlicious mix of jazz, blues, soul, funk and dub reggae that was beyond categorisation.

Astronaught is the follow-up, cut from the same cloth. Like its predecessor, it is by no stretch of the imagination a "jazz" album, however catholic one's understanding of the word. Jazz is but one of the ingredients, and a minor one, and jazz musicians are outnumbered among the collective personnel. For want of a better description, the shorthand tag for Walker's music might be "rhythm and vibe." Alternatively, check out the YouTube below and coin your own.

Whatever it is called, Astronaught is likely to find part of its audience among open-eared jazz aficionados, particularly those tuned into the London underground jazz scene with which Walker is loosely affiliated. It is a scene which has been spawned and nurtured by streaming culture, in which divisions between genres dissolve and playlists have tracks by John Coltrane, Lee Perry, J Dilla and Fela Kuti indiscriminately rubbing up against each other.

Of immediate interest to AAJers will be "Automaton," which features Nubya Garcia keyboardist Joe Armon Jones and Kokoroko guitarist Oscar Jerome (on vocals), and "Running Away" and "Detroit Velvet Smooth," which both feature flugelhornist Yazz Ahmed. But Astronaught is best approached via the eclectic route adopted by Walker. Simply put the disc on, kick back and enjoy a little sunny fun.

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