Sean Noonan (drums, vocals &
kitsch kilt), Norbert Burger (guitar) & Harry Saltzman (tenor saxophone)
(Review by Russell).
Jazz North East invited Brooklyn,
NYC drummer Sean Noonan to make another visit to Newcastle , this time in the company of two
lederhosen-clad improvisers, to regale us with more of his fantastical tales from
the Weird World of Noonan.
The Hub first unleashed their
power-trio punk-jazz on an unsuspecting Tyneside public a decade or so ago and
Noonan has retained the band’s razor sharp thrash-jazz chops in his latest
venture. Noonan went down to the (Bavarian) woods and found to his surprise two
like-minded weirdos keen to make a noise, a big noise. And now they are on
tour. Noonan is forever on the road, in part to escape the unwelcome advances
of a drunkard of a landlady back home (that’s another story and Noonan will, no
doubt, tell it again one day), writing and recording new material as he goes.
One senses it is the journey, not
the getting there (wherever there
is), that motivates Noonan. As Downtown Middleweight Champ, Noonan strode onto
stage, head covered by a shimmering, hooded boxing cape, sporting a
camouflage-patterned kilt. Is Noonan the Jeff Koons of NYC avant jazz? Kitsch
comes easy to him – cape, boxer’s vest, kilt, bunny rabbit ears close at hand,
a shrine to King Ludwig. Yes, welcome to the Weird World of Noonan. But can he
play? You bet! And what of his new-found friends Burger and Saltzman?
Guitarist Norbert Burger looked
positively normal (lederhosen aside!) - straight rather than cool. Being the
former made him positively cool. Could he play? And some! Rockabilly, r’n’b,
polka, waltz, louche lounge jazz swing, ska, Frisell, Wilko Johnson and more,
so much more. Saltzman? He’s in the Weirdo Club…good on him! Big (imagine him
chopping firewood in the back woods), bald with big, comedy stick-on beard (it
was real!) and lederhosen. Big sound, sight-reading the newer material and as
tight as could be. All three were the tightest of tight.
Noonan began with an old
favourite – The Legend of John Henry
– and followed it with more recent tunes (instant hits!) including The Reincarnation of Several Hammers, Forced Meatballs, Pocket Bones, Na Connery’s and the true story of
King Ludwig. Noonan’s compositions allowed for improvised break-out sections
incorporating innumerable time signatures, myriad stylistic references, all the
while respecting the convention of returning to the head. Frequently hilarious,
frequently brilliant, this was a roller-coaster of a show.
Jazz North East’s next concert is a co-promotion with Splinter at the
Bridge on Sunday 24 March at the Bridge Hotel featuring Compassionate
Dictatorship.
Russell.
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