Sean Patrick Noonan Discography: 

                                             drummer, composer, conductor, arranger, producer, storyteller, music educator

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  • 2024  Four Canons and A Love Meltdown - chamber music with the Ligeti Quartet (coming soon)
  • 2023  Slide Gate the third Pavees Dance album with Malcolm Mooney (CAN) Jamaaladeen Tacuma and Ava Mendoza (coming soon)
  • 2023  Bartalk monodrama recorded live on April 30, 2022 in concert at St Giles Church London (coming soon)
  • 2022  Zappanation surreal rock opera dedicated Frank Zappa with 13 piece ensemble
  • 2022  Knott Tones first entire instrumental album featuring the U.K.-based Ligeti Quartet
  • 2020  Drumavox fusing the drum kit with a mix Sardinian a cappella choir from Noonan's Zappanation Rock Opera
  • 2020  NOONWARD duo with multi-instrumentalist Alex Ward at the intersections of rock, jazz, improvised music and contemporary classical
  • 2019  Tan Man's Hat - Pavees Dance (Malcolm Mooney, Eva Mendoza, Alex Marcelo, Jamaaladeen Tacuma)
  • 2018  The Aqua Diva - Beyond Jazz (Creative Avant Jazz Storytelling)
  • 2017  Man No Longer MeLarge jazz rock ensemble
  • 2016  Memorable Sticks - Keyboard Trio that dig deep discovering Folklore Legends Skarbnik Salt Mines apparitions from Wieliczka Poland              
  • 2016  Brooklyn Lager Trio - Bavarian Punk Jazz Sax Trio
  • 2014 Trilogy Series:
  •          In the Ring - with Momenta String Quartet - Modern chamber music, third stream, storytelling
  •          Pavees Dance:  There's Always the Night - Jazz Funk Punk
  •          Bruised by Noon - Solo drum set improv, electro-acoustic
  • 2012  A Gambler's Hand - String Quartet, Modern chamber music, third stream, storytelling 
  • 2011 Set the Hammer Free - Afro-Celtic Punk Jazz
  • 2009 Time at the End of the Day - Brewed by Noon live trio and quintet 
  • 2008 Boxing Dreams - Brewed by Noon afro-celtic jazz 
  • 2008 Being Brewed by Noon - Documentary by Tom Asma Being Brewed by Noon film 
  • 2008 Being Brewed by Noon - Brewed by Noon live concerts in ny/europe 
  • 2008 Brooklyn Lager - Noonan/Burger NY Bavarian Jazz Duo
  • 2007 Stories to Tell - Brewed by Noon Afro-Celtic Jazz Rock
  • 2006 Brewed by Noon - Brewed by Noon african jazz rock 
  • 2005 Light,fuse,get,away - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio 
  • 2003 Live at Gugalander - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio 
  • 2002 Chips - Aram Bajakian Sean Noonan guitar duo/diverse styles 
  • 2002 Trucker - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio 
  • 2001 Accident - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio 
  • 2000 Vandalism - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio 
  • 1999 Trio Jazz - Sean Noonan acoustic piano trio 
     

Sean Patrick Noonan – CV

A drummer and composer whose music enthusiastically defies category, Sean Noonan prefers the title “Rhythmic Storyteller” – an apt description for a modern-day sonic griot who spins imaginative yarns in the ancient tradition of wandering minstrels while weaving captivating narrative tapestries via his unique polyrhythmic language. His music is informed by an eclectic variety of influences, including collected tone rows (e.g. Alban Berg), harmolodic jazz (Marc Ribot, Jamaaladeen Tacuma), aleatoric comprovisation (John Zorn, John Cage), Krautrock (Malcolm Mooney, CAN) and Malian griot traditions (Abdoulaye Diabaté).

Noonan's most recent work Anatomical Planes, a series of five comprovisations was recorded on January 9, 2020, with the Ligeti Quartet and is the basis of his research proposal which employ concepts from Conlon Nancarrow's Studies for Player Piano: Study No. 5 (two repeating ostinatos at tempos of 5-against-7) Study No. 11 (an isorhythmic blues on a repeating sequence of 120 chords) and Study No. 20, (a pointillist duration canon of repeating notes within small ranges).

Noonan studied Music Education at Boston’s Berklee College of Music and spent part of those years at the Old School House Theater on Sanibel Island, Florida, backing legendary Hollywood songstress Marni Nixon. In 1999 Noonan settled in New York forming THE HUB, a punk-jazz trio that John Fordham (The Guardian) described as "Maniacally exhilarating, gripping in its precision and energy, a real breath of fresh air."

In 2003 while on tour in Italy, Noonan was in a near-fatal car wreck and during that long period of rehabilitation was when he discovered the multi-temporal music of Conlon Nancarrow which became integral to his compositional style.  A commission from the American Composers Forum in 2006 led to discovering the "wandering folk" theory where he collected and adapted folklore from a modern perspective Bardic (Susan McKeown) and Malian Griot traditions (Abdoulaye Diabaté) with improvisation (Marc Ribot, Mat Maneri). "Drummer Noonan's notion of conflating 'bardic and griot traditions' has juice. The Celtic tunes and African grooves retain their singularity, even when surrounded by flashes of fusion." – The Village Voice.

A love for jazz and African rhythms fueled a 2008 trek to Mali gaining a first-hand experience of West African griot traditions which culminated in the album Boxing Dreams (Songlines Recordings) one manifestation of Noonan’s amorphous Afro-Celtic jazz-rock project Brewed By Noon, which consisted of 5 albums between 2006 and 2011 and was the subject of filmmaker Tom Asma’s documentary Being Brewed By Noon.

In 2010 he earned his Masters in Music Composition from the Aaron Copland Music School in Queens, NY which resulted in the release of A Gambler’s Hand, a suite of pieces for amplified string quartet and drums, largely composed but with improvisational sections (third stream uniting jazz and classical forms and approaches), inspired equally by the great string quartet tradition (Beethoven and Bartok in particular). The relationship of the drums and strings developed from Sean’s experience of hearing/playing music from the drum position – conceptually and even literally, the strings are positioned as extensions of the drummer’s limbs.

In 2016 Sant'anna Arresi Jazz Festival commissioned Noonan to premiere his Zappanation Rock Opera dedicated to Frank Zappa and Edgard Varèse, which included the Drumavox a cappella choir and Ligeti Quartet.  Another more recent work includes Tan Man’s Hat by his harmolodic jazz-rock ensemble Pavees Dance, a 2019 release on Rarenoise Records, fuses free funk pre-rap beat poetry by Malcolm Mooney, of CAN and Jamaaladeen Tacuma (Ornette Coleman)

While Noonan’s “wandering folk” approach to collecting the stories of diverse cultural traditions spans the globe, the name of Pavees Dance is rooted in his own Irish heritage. Pavees are members of the Emerald Isle’s nomadic ethnic minority, traditionally occupied as traveling tinkers and craftsmen, skilled at crafting items from available materials – a gift shared by Noonan, whose distinctive compositions are a patchwork of eclectic inspirations made new and vital in his deft hands.

As a drummer, Noonan has performed live on BBC Jazz on 3, Danish National Radio, VPRO Netherlands, German National, and WKCR. He has published over 120 works for jazz ensembles, choir and string quartet. Noonan is a record producer who has released 22 albums since 1999 on various labels and his own label, which have been distributed, reviewed and broadcasted around the world.  In 2020-21 three additional releases are scheduled: Zappanation Rock Opera (live DVD performance in Germany and studio CD), Noonward, duo with Alex Ward and Anatomical Planes Volume 1, a studio recording for drum kit and the Ligeti Quartet.


Noonan’s music has been heard by thousands of listeners in over 15 countries, with hundreds of performances in diverse venues and international festivals like: Bimhuis, A38, EFG London Jazz Festival, Haldern Pop Festival, Jazz Liege, Jazz Od Nowa, Sons D'Hiver MS Stubnitz Nottingham Jazzsteps Vilnius Jazz Festival Jazzclub Unterfahrt The Roulette, NY Kraakpand, Ghent.

Selected Current Music Projects as a leader:
⁃    Drumavox - drum kit and a cappella choir
⁃    Picnic in Snow: improvisation ensemble with Norbert Buerger (guitar), Christian Schantz (bass) and drumkit
⁃    Zappanation Rock Opera: 13 piece ensemble featuring drumkit, choir and string quartet
⁃    Pavees Dance: Pre-Rap Beat Poetry Harmolodic Jazz-Rock with Malcolm Mooney (voice), Jamaaladeen Tacuma (bass), Alexis Marcelo (piano), Ava      Mendoza (guitar)
⁃    A Gambler’s Hand: with Ligeti Quartet
-     Noonward duo with multi-instrumentalist Alex Ward

Selected Discography
2019  Tan Man’s Hat - Pavees Dance - (Rarenoise Records)
2018  The Aqua Diva - Creative Avant Jazz Storytelling) (Noonansmusic recordings)
2017  Man No Longer Me -  Large jazz rock ensemble – (Haldern Pop Records)
2016  Memorable Sticks – Piano Trio (For Tune records)
2014 Trilogy Series: (Noonansmusic recordings)
In the Ring - with Momenta String Quartet - chamber music, third stream
         Pavees Dance:  There's Always the Night - Jazz Funk Punk
         Bruised by Noon - Solo drum set improv, electro-acoustic
2012  A Gambler's Hand - String Quartet, third stream (Songlines Records)
2011 Set the Hammer Free - Afro-Celtic Punk Jazz (Noonansmusic recordings)
2009 Time at the End of the Day - Brewed by Noon live trio and quintet
2008 Boxing Dreams - Afro-Celtic Jazz Rock (Songlines Records)
2008 Being Brewed by Noon – Live CD/DVD (Innova Records)  
2008 Brooklyn Lager - Noonan/Burger NY Bavarian Jazz Duo
2007 Stories to Tell - Afro-Celtic Jazz Rock (Songlines Records)
2006 Brewed by Noon - african jazz rock  (Noonansmusic recordings)
2005 Light,fuse,get,away - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio
2003 Live at Gugalander - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio (emd records)
2002 Chips - guitar duo/diverse styles  (Innova Records)
2002 Trucker - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio  (Noonansmusic recordings)
2001 Accident - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio
2000 Vandalism - THE HUB punk jazz sax trio
1999 Trio Jazz - piano trio  (Noonansmusic recordings)

Live Radio Broadcasts
BBC Jazz on 3, Danish National Radio, VPRO Netherlands, German National, WKCR

Education

⁃    2009-10 Aaron Copland Music School, Queens College, M.A. Music GPA 3.77

-    2002  Harvest Works, NY (Max MSP)
⁃    1995-99 Berklee College of Music, Boston, B.M. Music Education GPA 3.42
-    1994-95 University of Massachusetts Amherst, MA
-    1991-94 Brockton High School, Brockton, MA
-    1989-91 West Junior High School, Brockton, MA
-    1983-89 John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Brockton, MA

Composition/Theory Teachers: Henry Burnett, Hubert Howe, Bruce Saylor, Charlie Banacos
Percussion Teachers: Joe Morello, Bob Moses, Jamie Haddad, Bob Gullotti,

Awards/Funding/Residencies
-    2019 Britten-Pears Creative Retreats
-    2019 UNCOOL Residency Switzerland
⁃    2016 Sant'Anna Arresi Jazz Festival commission of Zappanation Rock Opera
⁃    2013 Polish Institute Grant (tour support)
⁃    2013 US Embassy Poland Grant (tour support)
⁃    2010 Plymouth County Bar Association Scholarship Fund
⁃    2008 Album “Stories to Tell” Top 40 U.S. Jazz Charts for 2 weeks
⁃    2008 Meet the Composer Global Creative Connections Grant
⁃    2007 New York State Music Fund Recording Grant
⁃    2006 American Composers Forum Jerome Composer Commission
-    2004 L.E.M.U.R. Internship (League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots)
⁃    2001 & 2002 Brooklyn Arts Council Grant Recipient
⁃    2007 Feature in New York Time Arts Section for ACF Premiere at Symphony Space
⁃    1995 B.E.S.T Music Scholarship at Berklee College
⁃    1994 Louie Armstrong Jazz Award

Film:
⁃    2012 A Gambler's Hand Silent film-produced, acted, and film score
⁃    2007 “Being Brewed by Noon” documentary/feature

Theater:
⁃    2011 Park theater, Munich – drummer/improviser
⁃    1996-1997 Old School House Theatre – drummer, stage musician, actor

Teaching
⁃    1999-2005 NYC Board of Education, PS 161, 221, 398, Brooklyn, NY
⁃    2001-2008 Workshop and Clinics New Castle Univ, UK, Camerloher-Gymnasiums, DE
⁃    1995-2012 Private music teacher/drum teacher for beginners through advanced
⁃    1999-2002 District 17 Crown Youth Wind Ensemble – founder, band director
⁃    1999-2002 Crown Heights Children's Music Festival –founder, director, conductor
⁃    1999 Student Teaching Norwood Public Schools, MA Elementary, Middle, High School Band
⁃    1997-1998 Volunteer Teacher St. Joesph’s School, MA – created grade K-8 music/choral program

Review Extracts

"Independence might be the ruling concept of this drummer/leader’s career. It defines a common relationship not only among his hands, feet, and voice, but between his art and almost everything else in drumland". - Modern Drummer Magazine

The drummer and composer Sean Noonan approaches postmodern jazz and world music from the same angle of self-discovery ....he manages to make his pieces speak coherently, and in a unified voice." - The New York Times

"Intense, daft, tricksy, virtuoso, addictive: an absolute trip from a “modern-day sonic griot”-Louder Than War (NL)

"Sean has delivered his masterpiece" Luminous Dash (BE)

 "Tender and soulful, grooving, possibly Noonan's most accessible work without sacrificing a bit of his fiercely angular avant bent"  97.5FM Switzerland

"As if the early Pink Floyd had a freejazz session with The Mars Volta in Africa." Intro Magazine (DE)

Noonan's willingness to experiment makes Man No Longer Me one the most eclectic releases this year” - All About Jazz (USA)
 
"As if the early Pink Floyd had a freejazz session with The Mars Volta in Africa." Intro Magazine
 
"Sean has delivered his masterpiece" Luminous Dash

"Imagine a head on collision between Swell Maps, Gong, the Residents, the Magic Band and the Modern Lovers. Freeform jazzy struts, too many notes; outrageous, dayglo sonic curlicues." Richard Foster - Louder Than War

"The commitment to overall ambience, and mystery, and dark intensity is unwavering. Has there been an album (Memorable Sticks) so nonchalantly creepy released this year? That would be hard to imagine."  New York Music Daily

"Drummer Noonan's notion of conflating 'bardic and griot traditions' has juice. The Celtic tunes and African grooves retain their singularity, even when surrounded by flashes of fusion." The Village Voice

"You think this might be boring? C’mon man, relax, this is Sean Noonan…it’s like nothing else out there." Something Else! S. Victor Aaron    
"Menacingly surreal, often assaultive, a feast for fans of dark, challenging music…it’s a category unto itself – and one of the best in any style of music. Scary Stuff from Sean Noonan." Lucid Culture

"Stories to Tell," album by drummer Sean Noon's group Brewed by Noon, is a funky feast of music .....bursting with talented musicians and interesting sounds ...." All About Jazz New York

"This is not the typical release but an experience. A dynamic and virtually flawless execution of art at an apex of creativity few can match." Brent Black @CriticalJazz

 "Sean Noonan's A Gambler's Hand is a further step forward in his evolving blend of music and narrative." - All About Jazz

" ....he succeeds at bridging the gap during the preponderance of these fascinating arrangements, constructed upon a multicultural array of cadences. Here, jazz vernaculars and birthrights are fused into a bold and beautiful chain of musical events, often enamored with vigor and finesse." www.ejazznews.com