noah howard - the black ark

[kaini]

*Now available on limited vinyl** Bo Weavil have done a magnificent job in unearthing this unbelieveable lost classic from the free jazz underground. The Black Ark (recorded in 1969, released in 1973) is regarded as one of the outstanding examples of second generation free improvisation, following in the footsteps of Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane and Albert Ayler. Alto sax player Noah Howard is accompanied here by a stunning line-up of musicians including drummer Mohmmed Ali, Juma (of Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock set) on percussion, and Arthur Doyle playing tenor sax, making his recording session debut. And what an occasion to debut on - from the opening clatter of 'Domiabra' you know this is going to be something special, with Howard's explosive playing never overspilling into the realms of excess, instead he maintains a soulful approach, keeping the rhythmic maelstrom in check. Each of the players performs with a virtuosity largely unencountered in contemporary improvisation, and in truth, there's no single star here. As the musicians one-by-one step forward to take a solo spot on 'Domiabra' they each reveal their own unique musical identities. Next up, 'Ole Negro' is slightly easier going, hitting a more melodically-informed swing. The Eastern scales that usher in 'Mount Fuji' quickly take a turn towards the eruptive freedom that characterised the album's opening, though these modal themes later recur, imposing a clear, disciplined structure on proceedings. Finally, 'Queen Anne' takes things down a notch, the frantic percussion of the previous pieces stripped away to reveal a platform for pianist Leslie Waldron, whose solos here are nothing short of remarkable. Anyone with the remotest interest in free jazz should consider this an essential purchase. Highly recommended

 

this is absolutely incredible music. the closest thing i've heard to coltrane's a love supreme that isn't coltrane. can't recommend it enough. pm for... further details :angry:

[kaini]

lol i writ teh review

 

ECSTATIC MUSIC: Noah Howard - The Black Ark

 

A little bit of backstory on this most amazing album; it was one of the most sought-after jazz vinyls amongst the hardcore jazzheads for the longest time, impossibly rare and long out-of-print(since 1969). battered copies often hit the $200+ mark on ebay. think the 'smile' of the (on-the-very-cusp-of-free) jazz world. And it was rereleased very recently.

 

Now, the important bit. What this beast sounds like. Picture the classic mid-period Coltrane quartet, around the time of A Love Supreme. Now add in a devoted student of Ornette Coleman circa Free Jazz, and a world-class bongo player. Now put them in a room and tell them all to play like their lives depended on it. This is a rare gem of an album; it teeters on the edge of free jazz, but the sheer aggression and feeling EVERY musician on it attacks their instruments with, questing toward some never-quite-found perfect expression of the melody they're all constantly shaping and moulding is simply fucking breathtaking; ecstatic was the first word came into my head when trying to describe the sound.

 

the tracks all teeter on the edge of free, but usually follow a traditional jazz setup for a bit; the lads establish a theme, or a 'head' in jazz lingo. nice call and response stuff, lovely melodies, lovely harmonies. and then they usually start jamming like their life depends on it, and all fucking hell breaks loose.

 

take the first track; after the theme, the melody disintegrates over about 64 bars into a sort of everyone all sort of soloing at once proper wall of jazz sound. i guess they're developing ideas for what comes next, which are the solos proper, on which the three brass instruments alternate between coltrane-esque sheets of sound, and then wilder, more coleman-esque primal, shrieking noises which eventually start to sound more like a wounded animal lying on a plain in the middle of fucking africa than anything else in the world. the lads alternate back and forth, getting wilder and wilder, the piano hammering out a semblance of a melody, sketching one rather than defining one, the drummer hammers like his life depends on it, and they thunder on, stretching the concept of a melody as far as it can go getting more and more furious, alternating between beyond-alto screeching and a sound that's almost like a donkey braying. and then the pianist starts hammering keys at random, really fucking loud, it sounds like he's dancing on the piano now, all semblance of a melody discarded, a primal-sounding fucking thing, beating the shit out of his instrument for its inability to capture the melody in his head. the drummer punishes the drums, the saxes slowly fade, sounding like they'd die if they were punished for one more instant... and slowly everything peters out, into an almost blue-trainesque piano solo, still hectic, but somehow recapturing the thread of the initial melody, and you can nearly hear everyone in the room draw a collective breath. i still draw a breath myself at this point. fucking ecstatic jazz.

 

then a little bass solo, a little drum solo, the bass and piano come back in vamping on a few chords, and the BONGO guy gets a solo, ahahaahaaaa! well he hammers all fuck out of the bongo for a little bit anyway. then everyone comes back in, restates the theme, and we're done. it's like an almost normal bebop tune, and then albert ayler comes in and starts possessing people, and then the outro is almost traditionally bebop again, and it's utterly breathtaking.

 

whilst all the tracks follow an ancient jazz format, they stretch the fuck out of it. the last track is the closest to earth, with a lovely, slow melody, and excellent melodic solos. the wire described this last track as if it was the group unwinding and deciding what to do next, and i think that's a very nice description.

 

flawless. in my top three of the year so far.