Noah Howard - Live in Europe - Vol. 1 (1975)

 

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We briefly touched on Howard a while back, with his The Black Ark record. This set was recorded during his tour of Europe in the early 70's, featuring once again Muhammad Ali on the drums. The set is far reaching, sometimes spiritual at times. Which shouldn't come as a surprise, considering he covers Coltrane's Olé. Overall this is a solid record with a lot of great moods to hold your attention. 

Live in Europe - Vol. 1

Noah Howard - The Black Ark (1969)

 

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Way back in the day I used to go to this place in Evanston Illinois, called Pick-a-Cup Coffee Club on Friday nights, without fail. The baristas and I would proceed to get overly caffeinated and completely stoned out of our skulls, because at 7 PM on the dot, about 20+ musicians would get into a circle and blastoff into outer space. Despite the array of drums, percussion instruments, sometimes saxophones, etc... this group was so tight they could start and stop on a drop. Howard's 3rd recording as a leader takes me back there, every time I put it on. There's cacophonous moments, but as soon as Howard blows a phrase order comes back and the band is in sync again. Damn I miss that place. Pour yourself a cup of tea/coffee and feel the music.

The Black Ark