Noah Young, Six Million Ways To Die Review

Jazz

Noah Young, Six Million Ways To Die Review

Noah Young, Six Million Ways To Die Review 1

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Noah Young is a founding member of the jazz/funk band called Naughty Professor. Young moved to New Orleans to study jazz, but soon became one of the most sought-after bassists in New Orleans area. Young has stayed busy for his 8+ years of activity in the music scene composing, recording, and performing with numerous artists, including: David Shaw, George Porter Jr., Chali 2na, Big Freedia, Marcus King, Ivan Neville, Eric Bloom, Mike Dillon, Sasha Masakowski, Nigel Hall, Russell Batiste, Dee-1, The Stooges Brass Band, Leroy Jones, and many more. No wonder he garnered a nomination for “Best Bassist” in 2017 from OffBeat Magazine, New Orleans’ largest music publication. Naughty Professor tours rigorously and plays between 100-150 shows per year around the continental U.S., including a recent stint in Europe and the local holy grail, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Young maintains a busy schedule as a sideman in New Orleans and consistently performs with neo-soul singer Mykia Jovan every Sunday at the Blue Nile. 2015 saw Noah taking up the role of band leader for the first time when he started the Noah Young Band, a funk/jazz/fusion project that showcases his own compositions. Their first album, Start the Reactor, debuted in 2017 to local critical acclaim, with the second already recorded and coming soon. The same year, Young also started local supergroup Slugger, with Terrence Houston (The Funky Meters), Joe Johnson (Tank and The Bangas), and Max Bronstein (The Brass-A-Holics); their debut album is also slated for a 2019 release. Still only a few years out of school and already gathering comparisons to living legends like the Meters’ George Porter while prolifically developing his own artistry, Noah’s respect for the musical lineage he’s steeped in and restless forward momentum ensure he has nowhere to go but up. Young has teamed up with Steve Lands on trumpet, Brad Walker on saxophone, Walt Lundy on drums, Sam Kuslan on keyboards and Max Bronstein on guitar to create his album titled, Splinter, due out in March 2019. Now he is releasing his second single from Splinter, “Six Million Ways to Die.”

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Positives:

Young has a deep pocket and excellent compositional skills that takes us through a fun form and melody with “Six Million Ways to Die.”

Bottom Line:

“Six Million Ways to Die” is a jazz tune that focuses on funk, groove and improvisations that flows through various feels and rhythmic elements. The rhythmic figures through the tune are an important part of the melody and the bands flawless execution makes the music seamless and enjoyable. It is easy to hear the history of the jazz cannon in the music, but Young is pushing past the traditional sounds and bringing in elements of funk, rock and fusion. The sounds are steeped in a fusion of jazz and funk while displaying Young's mastery of his instrument and musical knowledge in his compositional statement in a profound way. Young and his bandmates are giving listeners plenty of crafty rhythms and melodies all set to a deep pocketed groove. That’s the short of it!

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