Howard, Noah
Howard, Noah
Howard, Noah, free-jazz alto Saxophonist; b. New Orleans, April 6, 1943. He sang in a choir as child. In 1960 he began two years in military service, then moved to Calif, and met alto saxophonist Byron Allen. This experience stimulated his interest in free jazz and led him to study alto saxophone and trumpet. In 1965 he moved to N.Y., where he played with avant- gardists including Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra, and Sonny Sharrock. He formed a quartet and recorded two albums for ESP (1965, 1966). In 1969 he joined Frank Wright’s group with pianist Bobby Few and drummer Muhammad Ali and toured Europe with them in 1970 before leaving. During the 1970s, he mostly led his own groups, dividing his time between N.Y. and Europe. He was involved with the N.Y. Musicians Festival 1972-74. Since the early 1980s, he has been less active.
Discography
N H. Quartet (1966); At Judson Hall (1966); The Black Ark (1969); Schizophrenic Blues: The N. H. Quartet Live in Berlin (1977). A. Shepp: Black Gypsy (1969). F. Wright: One for John (1969).
—Lewis Porter