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Noah Preminger: Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground

By Mark Corroto
May 1, 2016
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Noah Preminger: Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground

Saxophonist

Noah Preminger

saxophone, tenor
b.1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Noah Preminger got this backwards. His latest release, Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground should have preceded the 2015 recording Pivot: Live At The 55 Bar. Same quartet of trumpeter

Jason Palmer

trumpet
b.1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Jason Palmer, bassist Kim Cass, and drummer Ian Froman. Same theme, the Delta Blues. The reverse order observation is a historical one. Where

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane would record an album of shortish compositions, then take them to the Village Vanguard to expand them to album length tracks, Preminger does the opposite. Pivot comprised just two 30-minute-plus performances. Switching the timing of the two releases would definitely have garnered more attention for Pivot. Nonetheless, new listeners should start here to fully appreciate the beauty of that masterly workout.

Preminger's decision to return to the Delta blues was a wise one. His tenor sound reminds you of a young

Joe Lovano

drums
b.1952

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Lovano with hints of

Dewey Redman

saxophone, tenor
b.1931

" data-original-title="" title="">Dewey Redman. He's playing roots music. Never mind that he's an Northeast Coast performer, his soul inhabits that of a Delta bluesman. His version of "Trouble In Mind" transports the ear back to

Archie Shepp

saxophone, tenor
b.1937

" data-original-title="" title="">Archie Shepp and

Horace Parlan

piano
1931 - 2017

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Parlan's 1980 Steeplechase recording of the same name. Like Shepp, he teases out the most valuable essence of a song. With Palmer's plaintive trumpet, the pair sound very much alone together.

The material here has served as the inspiration for jazz musicians from

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington to

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman. If you listen to

Charles Mingus

bass, acoustic
1922 - 1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Mingus, you know he always came back to the blues, as did Coltrane. Preminger stripped down each piece to its essence. Blind Lemon Jefferson's "Black Snake Moan" field holler is transported to New Orleans with the blending of horns. "I Shall Not Be Moved" by Mississippi John Hurt takes us into the sanctified church, as both Palmer and Preminger preach the gospel of the blues. Theirs is a very modern performance of vintage material. Palmer's trumpet is capable of all the musical agility of a

Dave Douglas

trumpet
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Douglas or

Nate Wooley

trumpet
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Nate Wooley. His artistry comes from his sympathetic playing and the ability to fit hand-in-glove with Preminger. Listen to "Hard Times Killin' Floor Blues," and the ear asks you to believe the pair are just one voice.

Each piece here begs for extended improvisations. Maybe Preminger should consider releasing 30-minute renditions of each track.

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Track Listing

Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground; Hard Times Killin�� Floor Blues; Trouble In Mind; I Am The Heavenly Way; Future blues; Spoonful Blues; Black Snake Moan; Love In Vain; I Shall Not Be Moved.

Personnel

Noah Preminger

saxophone, tenor

Noah Preminger: saxophone; Jason Palmer: trumpet; Kim Cass: bass; Ian Froman: drums.

Album information

Title: Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Self Produced

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