Noah Howard Quartet - Schizophrenic Blues LP

Trost Records presents the latest release in its ongoing cooperation with Berlin's legendary FMP label, with the long overdue reissue of two classic live albums by the singular alto saxophonist Noah Howard, a key figure in New York's free jazz revolution during the 1960s. Schizophrenic Blues was a quartet date taped live in Berlin in May of 1977 with a quartet comprising Oliver Johnson, bassist Jean-Jacque Avenel, and trumpeter Itaru Oki. It was released on the SAJ sub label in 1978. It deftly captures the full diapason of Howard's fiery art. The piano-less quartet Schizophrenic Blues casts the music in a different light, with the great Japanese trumpeter Itaru Oki serving as a worthy frontline partner for Howard's livewire alto sax. Johnson is back in the rhythm section along with another Lacy disciple in the French bassist Jean-Jacques Avenel, who had already formed a strong musical bond, a mind meld readily apparent in grooves both ferociously energetic and contextually nimble. The leader reveals his curiosity by extending his repertoire to include an unexpected reading of "Bird of Beauty," a Stevie Wonder tune that released a few years earlier on Fulfillingness' First Finale, while the album concludes with a rousing, soulful rendition of the "Lift Every Voice and Sing," known fondly as the Black National Anthem. It reinforces the scalding passion of Howard's playing, while simultaneously highlighting a stylistic depth and lyrical grace that's often overlooked in his music. Howard, who suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage in 2010, at age 67, has been duly celebrated for his work in the 1960s, but the return of this gems makes it plain he had plenty more to say. Recorded live by Jost Gebers on May 21st and 22nd,1977 at the Quartier Latin in Berlin. Cover design by Dieter Hahne. Photographs by Dagmar Gebers. Produced by Jost Gebers. Originally released and published on FMP in 1978.