Noah Preminger, sax – Some Other Time – Newvelle vinyl

by | Aug 9, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Saxist Noah Preminger explores the blues on winning Newvelle Records LP issue…

Noah Preminger – Some Other Time – Newvelle NV003LP – 180gm audiophile vinyl ****:

(Noah Preminger – tenor sax; Ben Monder – guitar; John Patitucci – bass; Billy Hart – drums)

Newvelle Record’s latest release in their LP subscription series continues their winning streak in issuing state of the art LP recordings. Following in the foot steps of Frank Kimbrough’s Meantime and Jack DeJohnette’s Return, Noah Preminger’s Some Other Time boasts impeccable acoustics and a moody tenderness in an exploration of largely blues ballads.

The interplay between the quartet is striking. Ben Monder’s guitar is a perfect foil for Noah’s breathy tenor explorations. It has both a warm and inviting presence that floats over and under themes presented. John Patitucci’s bass is muscular and sympathetic, similar to how Charlie Haden supported both Hank Jones and Pat Metheny. Billy Hart’s drumming is made to order for this group as his stick work is equally at home in straight ahead and free settings. On “Melancholia” and “Porcelain” he guides with care, and when a forceful hand is needed on Noah’s “Semenzato” his cymbals lead the way. Their shimmering presence in the sound mix demonstrate the strengths of Newvelle’s team of producer Elan Mehler, sound mixer Marc Urselli, with mastering by Alex DeTurk. East Side Sound in New York is used again and their sound stage is topnotch. Listeners will feel and experience the breath on the tenor reed, the woody timbre of the bass, and the snap of the drum stick on the snare. You are there with a front and center seat.

Noah’s tone has a feathery vibrato and passion that brings to mind Pres. He caresses the melody while opening his soul to the emotion of “Try a Little Tenderness,” Strayhorn’s “My Little Brown Book” and the haunting “Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios,” written by Paraguayan classical guitarist Agustin Barrios Mangore. The upper register tenor notes on “Una Limosna” are so accurately recorded that they pierce your consciousness. Noah’s take on Dylan’s “Boots of Spanish Leather” is a natural jazz blues transition that makes one wonder why more early Dylan is not explored by jazz artists.

I eagerly await future Newvelle LP recordings from Don Friedman, Ben Allison, and Leo Genovese. Some Other Time can be purchased as part of Newvelle’s (expensive) subscription series at newvelle-records.com

TrackList:

Side A:

My Little Brown Book, Semenzato, A Ghost of a Chance, Una Limosna por el

Amor de Dios

Side B:

Porcelain, Try a Little Tenderness, Melancholia, Boots of Spanish Leather, Some Other Time

—Jeff Krow

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