Nick Walters – Padmasana

Limited Edition Black Vinyl.

Trumpeter, composer, bandleader & producer, Nick Walters delivers his 2nd studio album of the year for D.O.T. Records, an exquisite mix of jazz fusion, electronic and traditional Indian sounds. Padmāsana is inspired and constructed from experiences and samples he encountered whilst travelling around the Indian subcontinent. It was all pieced together at his studio in East London, featuring live contributions from Tenderlonious on flute, Kieran McLeod on trombone, Tim Carnegie on drums, and Walters himself on trumpet and synthesisers. Padmāsana was mixed by Sam Interface at More Time Studios.

‘Padmāsana’ is an album inspired by the sights, sounds and smells of a trip travelling around the Indian subcontinent. Nick was lucky enough to travel around India on two separate occasions (2017 and 2019), both times carrying with him a portable sound recorder to document some of the interesting sounds he encountered. Each of the tracks on this album are built around samples recorded on the streets of India.

‘Namaskaram’ is a typical Hindu greeting - the track features a mysterious religious call heard in the small town of Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, which is coaxed along via Walters’ mystic trumpet calls.

‘Nilgiri Hills’ features a sample recorded on a journey on the Nilgiri Mountain Railway. "Every time we passed through a tunnel the school children on the train would scream at the top of their voices - the recording of these screams can be heard at the start of the track". The track features some sublime solo work from Tenderlonious on flute.

‘Goa’ features a sample recorded whilst walking along the beach at a small sleepy town called Benaulim. The track is an up-tempo, ‘house music’ inspired voyage, featuring flute and trumpet in tandem.

‘Blue City Busker’ features a snippet of a busker encountered in Jodhpur, the city in Rajasthan known as the Blue City, due to the distinctive blue decoration given to many of the buildings. The busker is mirrored by Walters’ soothing trumpet as the track meanders through more traditional Indian sounds.

‘Road To Munnar’ - "while taking a jeep to Munnar through the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary we pulled over in the evening at the side of the road for a break. At the same time a Hindu ceremony featuring bells and musical instruments was in full swing, this track features samples recorded of that ceremony." Definitely the most expansive and hard-hitting track on the album, featuring Walters, McLeod and Tenderlonious on trumpet, trombone and flute, weaving over a snappy dubstep style beat.

‘Udaipur’ features a wedding band encountered next to Lake Pichola in Udaipur. The drum pattern recorded forms the rhythmic basis of this track. Featuring an amazing trombone solo from Kieran McLeod

‘Prayer’ features a recording of a yoga teacher singing his daily prayers, recorded (with permission) in Kochi, Kerala. A spiritual offering featuring Tenderlonious and Walters in conversation on flute and trumpet respectively.

Above all ‘Padmāsana’ is a celebration of the richness of Indian culture, and the warmth and generosity of the people living there. The album is named after the Sanskrit word for the classic lotus position in yoga - an ancient position commonly used for meditation in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions. The album cover depicts the white lotus flower beautifully painted by Lorna Robertson, in a style inspired by the visual aesthetic of traditional Indian artwork. The intricate pattern on the back cover is taken from a wooden carved stamp purchased in the sprawling market of Jaipur.