Noah Preminger

Noah Preminger is an American jazz saxophonist.

Of Brooklyn-based saxophonist Noah Preminger, the Hartford Courant said: “Playing with the grace and expressiveness of a jazz veteran, the young man with a horn mixes cool restraint with emotional depth and old-fashioned poetry with contemporary bite.” Preminger, just 26, has recorded his third album and second for Palmetto Records, Haymaker, for release in spring 2013. Featuring a kindred-spirit band of top-flight players – guitarist Ben Monder, double-bassist Matt Pavolka and drummer Colin Stranahan – the album showcases a brace of fresh Preminger compositions, along with a cover of jam-band rocker Dave Matthews’ “Don’t Drink the Water.” Blending atmosphere and melody, free-floating sax lines and hovering guitar, the Noah Preminger Group plays modern jazz that balances musical integrity with sensual allure.

Born in 1986, Preminger grew up in Canton, Connecticut. While still in high school, he studied with saxophone luminary Dave Liebman. Preminger released his debut album, Dry Bridge Road, just after graduating from the New England Conservatory of Music. The recording was a sextet session with top-line players from the New York scene: Monder, pianist Frank Kimbrough, trumpeter Russ Johnson, bassist John Hébert, drummer Ted Poor. Jazz Review said: “Preminger seems to have arrived on the scene fully formed, with incisive musical instincts, a distinctive personal sound and an ability to write great tunes.” The New York Times added: “More than just a promising starting point, this is a display of integrity; here’s a musician you feel you can trust.” Dry Bridge Road was named Debut of the Year in the Village Voice critics poll, making top 10 lists in JazzTimes, Stereophile and The Nation.

Preminger’s second album as a leader, Before the Rain, came in 2011 from Palmetto and showcased his growing compositional depth, the affecting lyricism of his improvisations and his tenor’s sheer beauty of tone. Featuring a quartet with Kimbrough, Hébert and drummer Matt Wilson, the album includes such Preminger originals as the elliptically cathartic “Abreaction” and diminutive ballad “K.” It also features Kimbrough’s gorgeous “November” and his Ornette Coleman-influenced “Quickening,” as well as Coleman’s “Toy Dance” and the standards “Where or When” and “Until the Real Thing Comes Along.” All About Jazz said about Before the Rain: “Sensitivity and an ear for aural sophistication are the hallmarks of tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger.” DownBeat said, “The creativity and passion remain extremely high,” while The New York Times concluded: “Mr. Preminger designs a different kind of sound for each note, an individual destiny and story.”

While still a standout student at NEC, Preminger was lauded as a musician of distinction, with the Boston Phoenix saying: “Preminger’s sound is beholden to no one. That makes him continually unpredictable and continually satisfying.” He has built on that early affirmation, playing key stages in New York, Europe and Australia – and now producing a third striking album. Preminger has played with the likes of Billy Hart, Dave Holland, Fred Hersch, Dave Douglas, Victor Lewis, John and Bucky Pizzarelli, Billy Drummond, George Cables, Roscoe Mitchell, Dr. Eddie Henderson and Dave Liebman.