Noah Howard?

[Nathaniel Catchpole]

A friend (actually one my saxophone students, who's favorite saxophone player is Brotzmann!) played me a track by this guy from the early seventies, I think. Possibly the most arresting thing I've heard by a saxophone player new to my ears for some time - beautiful tone, great phrasing, nice rhythm section. Had never heard of him until a few weeks ago, and haven't heard him since that particular drunken evening.

Apparently he originated from Boston, and I see there's a recent record out on Boxholder (albeit with a "beat poet", don't fancy that). Any one heard this guy? Been buying a fair number of records lately, but ought to pick something up, see if it holds up to first impressions.

These three look good:

Noah Howard at Judson Hall
Featuring: Dave Burrell, Norris Jones, Rik Colbeck, Bobby Kapp
#
Patterns
Recorded in Hilversum Holland

October 1971

with: Earl Freeman, Han Bennick, Misha Mendelberg[sic], Steve Boston, Jaap Schoonhoven.
#
Space Dimension
with: Frank Wright, Bobby Few, Art Taylor

website at http://www.webhaus.be/webhaus/p002/AltSax.html but it hasn't been updated since 1998. Where's this guy been? Looks like he's played with a lot of people.

[Sergio Zamora]

Nat,

Eremite reissued "Patterns" together with "Message to South Africa". Both are kick-ass. I go back to that disc a lot.

Anybody heard a recently 2-cd set with Noah Howard, Frank Wright, and Arthur Doyle (I don't think they play together)?

[Nathaniel Catchpole]

Big fan of Dave Burrell. I'll look out for that reissue, thanks OZ.

[jazzfiend]

Yo Nat,

I can recommend 3 of Noah's fine sessions:

Noah Howard Quartet - Live at the Unity Temple (Ayler)

Noah Howard & Bobby Kapp(sax/drums duo) - Between Two Eternities (Cadence Jazz)

Noah Howard Quartet - at Documenta IX (Boxholder)

[Joe Milazzo]

The Eremite PATTERNS / MESSAGE... disc is the one to go for, IMHO. Its also probably the easiest one to find. I think the ESP discs are slowly returning to the catalog, again under Stollman's auspices, but, with his catalog, it always seems to be a crap-shoot...

http://www.espdisk.com/

I also happen to like the live record that was released on Cadence, but as much for Bobby Few as for Howard.

I still remain lukewarm on RED STAR, but its hard not to be intrigued by a recording featuring Howard, Richard "Notes" Williams and Kenny Clarke...

[Jon Abbey]

the Eremite reissue is good, but I think his best record was The Black Ark, which also features the best Arthur Doyle I've heard. unfortunately, this has only been reissued on a hard-to-find Japanese CD so far...

[Nathaniel Catchpole]

The same saxophone student who introduced me to him just bought the Eremite, so I'll check that out. Thanks for the recs guys, nice to find someone new for a change (although there's dozens I've heard of but barely heard to keep me going for many years)

[mke]

He lives in Belgium.

[Nathaniel Catchpole]

you heard him Mwanji?

[mke]

Unfortunately, I missed a chance when he was on a double bill with the Vandermark 5: it was too far away.

I have an interview from Jazz Hot, I'll re-read it to see if it contains any interesting info.

[spekkola]

I have to pick that Space Dimension (with frank wright, bobby few and art taylor). It is good!!! (hmm, maybe the Black Ark is still better than this...)

Art Taylor's drumming is amazing here, especially on B-side. Drumming is wild and very free. And of course Frank Wright is always great. Take this if you find it!!!


Live at the Village Vanguard (-72) (with Lowe, Rashied...) would be great to hear someday.

[mke]

Info from Jazz Hot 605, November 2003:

Born 1943 New Orleans
Sang gospel in church from 6-7 years old
Started on violin at school, then trumpet, then alto at 16, studying with Dewey Johnson, Byron Allen and Sonny Simmons in San Francisco.
Created his own label, Altsax Music, in 1972
Went to NYC in 1965, playing at Slug's. Met Albert Ayler through whom he got his first album on ESP in 66.
Went to Paris in 1969 for the Paris Jazz Festival (which was moved to the little town of Amougies).
Moved to Belgium in 1982

"I built myself musically in the free jazz period. Only later, in the 80s, did I come back to a mixture of traditional jazz and what people call 'free jazz.' (...) I'm always playing the blues, whatever direction I'm taking. So I don't see a line between free jazz, new jazz, old jazz, improvisation. It's just terminology."

http://www.noahhoward.com/

[JaSt]

One of his best, together with "The Black Ark", is "Schizophrenic Blues", The Noah Howard Quartet Live In Berlin from 1977 on FMP.

On Sun Records is another fine one: "Noah Howard Live In Europe" also released as "Olé".

[mke]

Here's a picture of Howard I took a few hours ago. He was playing with his Migration Orchestra, doing straight 12-bar blues, funk, a nice fusion-y tune, but overall I was underwhelmed. It was the first time I was seeing him and expected something else. I left before the end (it was outdoors and free).

[Jesse]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by JaSt

On Sun Records is another fine one: "Noah Howard Live In Europe" also released as "Olé".[/QUOTE

I have this on vinyl (Chiarascuro Records) as Ole, 1979.The songs are: Ole/Kanpai/Creole Girl/New Arrival/Lift Every Voice & Sing.
The players are:
Howard:as
Takashi Kako: p
Kent Carter:b
Muhammed Ali:d
Oliver Johnson:d ("Ole" only).

This is well worth finding. I am a huge fan of both drummers, and Carter is superb. Howard's tone and soloing ideas are an acquired taste. I dig him.
At times his tone reminds me of Steve Potts.As I said, this is a kicking ensemble. Ali is worth checking out in several other contexts, if you haven't.
Glad you found Howard.

Jesse

[Dick Bowman]

I probably don't have a lot to add, Noah's been around since the mid-sixties and based in Europe a lot of the time. Seen him perform twice - he invaded the 100 Club back in the days of Monday night free jazz, blowing the Pukwana/Dyani group into the dust, and a kamikazi set at the Vision Festival a couple of years back, He is a whirlwind in performance, and this often doesn't come across on record. For my money it's his lyrical strength that's the highpoint of the records - don't care much for "Patterns" - try looking up the series of quartet records he put out in the late seventies (labels like SAJ - all seemingly long-gone). More recently, as someone suggested, the duo with Bobby Kapp on Cadence. One thing to watch out for - he does have a tendency to break out into song - this rather louses up CDs like the Cadence quartet one (I think). The records with Rev. Wright are fine things, also.

[Tom K]

I saw him play at the first Willisau Festival back in 1975. I don't rememer much, though. He was heading a quintet ... and what I do remember is that the music struck me as relatively simple (if not to say stupid), at least in comparison to the other groups playing before and after. I walked out. Sorry - that was a long time ago.

[mke]

Originally Posted by Dick Bowman

He is a whirlwind in performance

He certainly wasn't yesterday, I left mid-way through. I was disappointed, considering all the praise he had received here.

[JaSt]

Originally Posted by Tom K

I saw him play at the first Willisau Festival back in 1975. I don't rememer much, though. He was heading a quintet ...

In 1975 Noah toured a lot with a quartet including Takashi Koko, p; Jean Jacques Avenal or Kent Carter, b and Oliver Johnson or Mohamed Ali on drums.
Noah played very fine and with fire. They played the same tunes as today like "The Blessing" and "In transition".

There will be a "Live at Glenn Miller Café" release on Ayler with his quartet including Few later on.

[Jesse]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by JaSt

In 1975 Noah toured a lot with a quartet including Takashi Koko, p; Jean Jacques Avenal or Kent Carter, b and Oliver Johnson or Mohamed Ali on drums.
Noah played very fine and with fire.

Look at Post #15 above.
The pianist is Kako, the bassist Carter.

[JaSt]

There are tapes with different quartets including the mentioned bassists and drummers.
But I have not find any quintet recordings as Tom is mentioning.
If that quintet included a trumpet player it could have been Oki Itaru who Noah played with in the 70s.

[Tom K]

I've just managed to find that 1975 Willisau line-up:

Noah Howard (as)
Gerald Masao Oshita (ts)
Frank Abel (p)
Kent Carter (b)
Guy Oliver (d).

[JaSt]

Thanks Tom! Interesting.