The Black Ark (album)

The Black Ark
Studio album by Noah Howard
Released	1972
Recorded	1969
Studio	Bell Sound (New York City)
Genre	Free jazz
Length	40:34
Label	Freedom FLP 40105
Producer	Alan Bates and Noah Howard
Noah Howard chronology
Space Dimension (1971) The Black Ark (1972) Live at the Village Vanguard (1972)

The Black Ark is an album by American free jazz saxophonist Noah Howard recorded in New York City in 1969 for the Freedom label and was rereleased in 2007.[1][2]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Penguin Guide to Jazz	[4]
All About Jazz	[5]

The AllMusic review by Brandon Burke awarded the album 4 stars stating "While The Black Ark is not altogether different than his other records from this period, it presents Howard in a new setting with a number of interesting avant-garde players... Easily recommended for fans of the 1969 BYG/ESP free jazz scene".[3]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz nominated the album as part of its "Core Collection" of recommended jazz recordings.[4][6]

All About Jazz stated "By 1969, Howard was terrifyingly good: as a player, composer and bandleader. The four originals which make up The Black Ark—a mutant blues, a free jive samba, a cod-Japanese "ying-tong" melody and a wonderfully lyrical ballad—are catchy and hummable, at a time when most free jazz rejected tunes and structures".[5]

Track listing

All compositions by Noah Howard

1. "Domiabra" - 10:31
2. "Ole Negro" - 8:49
3. "Mount Fuji" - 15:31
4. "Queen Anne" - 5:43

Personnel

• Noah Howard - alto saxophone
• Arthur Doyle - tenor saxophone
• Earl Cross - trumpet
• Leslie Waldron - piano
• Norris Jones - bass
• Muhammad Ali - drums
• Juma Sultan - congas

References

1. Noah Howard discography accessed October 28, 2014
2. Boweavil Recordings album entry, accessed October 28, 2014
3. Burke, B., Allmusic Review accessed October 28, 2014
4. Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008) [1992]. "Noah Howard". The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). New York: Penguin. p. 730. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
5. May, C., All About Jazz Review, July 26, 2007
6. Penguin Guide to Jazz: Core Collection List, accessed October 28, 2014