About Town: Guitarist Noah Pierre’s Holiday Special – Funky, Sweet, and Soulful
A concert by the Noah Pierre Band at An die Musik December 15, 2024, was a delight from start to finish with a mixture of instrumental and vocal numbers. Pierre, a 2019 graduate of Towson University, studied with Shawn Purcell, Anthony Pirog, and John Lee. He has been performing regularly in Baltimore-area venues. This December, he and his band were part of this year’s WBAL-TV holiday special “A Season to Celebrate,” a half-hour local holiday spectacular featuring Maryland artists performing timeless holiday classics across the state. A fairly stable roster of top-notch players backs Pierre — Ricky Jefferson, piano/background vocals; Oliver Unger, bass; Jordon Stanley, drums; Jack Horvath, tenor sax (subbing for saxophonist Mike Paxton). These bandmates reside throughout the greater Baltimore area and DC’s Maryland suburbs.
Pierre describes his music as Black Music and Modern Jazz. The opening tune, “Toucs”, an original whose title was inspired by a scene from the TV show Brooklyn 99, reminded me of the funky/soulful jazz of the group Soulive. Second was Nat Adderley, Jr.’s arrangement for Luther Vandross of the standard “My Favorite Things.” In this song, lead vocalist/guitarist Pierre revealed a vulnerable tenor voice with a range and tone similar to the singer Thundercat. One of my favorite holiday tunes, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” stretched out in jazzy, funky and expansive ways. Another holiday staple, “Christmas Time is Here,” was covered sweetly with vocals again from Pierre. Other originals included “Junk,” a funky R&B vocal ballad; “See You Soon,” which had a smooth jazz feel; and an epic piece, “Love Long,” that featured extended, engrossing, jazzy solos from each player. Having their entire set memorized, the ensemble was tight from start to finish
The band’s EP “You Live Here” was released in September 2024. Two newer originals from this concert will be released in their upcoming recording. The group’s winter East Coast tour included a stop at Keystone Korner on January 26, 2025. We are certainly fortunate to have this cohesive group performing at this level in the Baltimore/DC area.
By Rhonda Robinson
Rhonda Robinson is a Baltimore-based vocalist and flutist. She performs with the Baltimore Jazz Alliance’s “Jazz for Kids” program and periodically writes for the newsletter.