Noah Howard – The Black Ark LP

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RELEASE DATE: 3/20/2026

“In the pantheon of classic free jazz,Noah Howard‘sThe Black Arklooms large. Recorded at Bell Sound Studios in New York City in 1969 — just prior to the alto saxophonist’s relocation to Europe — the album was eventually released in 1972.The Black Arkexhibits not only the power and imagination of Howard’s playing, but also his breadth as a composer and bandleader. Listeners expecting unrelenting blasts of ‘energy music’ might be surprised to find a cohesion atypical of free jazz; amidst the wild, impassioned solos, Howard weaves in Latin rhythms and fat-bottomed grooves. The first side, consisting of ‘Domiabra’ and ‘Ole Negro,’ sets the album’s tone. Both tracks sound as if they could have appeared on some of Blue Note’s proto-spiritual jazz, groove-heavy releases — evoking the likes ofHorace SilverorBobby Hutcherson— before ceding the floor to the horn players’ anarchic firepower. TrumpeterEarl Cross‘ guttural, vocal effects complement Doyle’s take-no-prisoners approach, while the estimable combination ofMuhammad Ali(Rashied’s brother) on drums and Juma Sultan on congas adds an ever-shifting propulsion. The septet is rounded out by the enigmatic pianistLeslie Waldron, who anchors the group with imaginative accompaniment and occasional boppish flourishes. Every bit worthy of its reputation as an ‘out-jazz’ holy grail,The Black Arkonly sounds better with age. It remains the ideal record to convert the remaining free-jazz skeptics.”