Noah Preminger interviewed by Woodrow Wilkins
On the heels of back-to-back releases rooted in the blues of the Mississippi Delta, Pivot – Live at the 55 Bar,” and “”Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground,” saxophonist Noah Preminger makes a different kind of statement. “Meditations on Freedom” is part reaction to the 2016 election of a billionaire who had no political experience, a limited attention span and a knack for stirring the emotions of people who are fearful, angry or prejudiced against one or more ethnic groups. It’s also a call for those who believe in freedom, democracy and progress over regress to keep going, not give up.
Preminger spent a few minutes talking about the project.
WW: Interesting statement you’re making with this new recording. Tell us when the idea started to take shape. What had just happened and what were your immediate thoughts?
NP: I’d been talking to Jimmy Katz one day, and we talk most days. The amazing engineer, photographer and a great friend of mine. And we spoke often about politics, and he said, “One day, I think you should make sort of a protest album.” It was right when Trump was elected. Two weeks after that we already had a recording date.
Classical music meets jazz with Brian Landrus Kaleidoscope’s Mirage (Blueland Records, 2013). This chamber jazz masterpiece consists of 12 original songs. The session blends the Kaleidoscope quintet with a string quartet.
hbh: I speak with the young lion Eric Darius. Hello Eric!
CM – Peter, many thanks for taking the time to talk to me today. The last time we spoke was back in September 2009 and in the following month you were due to go and play some dates with your old buddy Al Stewart, so I wanted to start off by asking you how that went.
CM – Robin, what I wanted to do was go back to the beginning. You’re Californian by birth right?
After 20 years of Fourplay, maybe they felt we should move on…”, says Chuck Loeb in a jocular manner later that night, employing the pun on words in the band’s name when introducing one of the songs he contributed to Fourplay’s 12th album “Let’s Touch the Sky”. While the cover art suggests that very endeavor with the band member’s hands reaching up, nearly two hours of stellar live music performances left no doubt among avid music lovers who had flocked to Bayerischer Hof Night Club on this November, 8th 2011 night that Smooth Jazz’s famous supergroup are doing exactly that: They’re not only touching the sky, but weaving a musical skyscape with arrangements and solos that exude virtuosity, verve and vitality in equal parts.
PH: Hi, and welcome to Augsburg. My name is Peter Höld and I’m from the German webradio station GrooveFM (
PH: Welcome to Germany. Is it your first time here?
CM – Brian I’ve been a fan of yours since about 1995 and a HUGE fan since I was lucky enough to catch you at the Capital Jazz Fest in 1999.
Smooth Jazz Daily 