SeanNoonan’s Brewed by Noon

Live inNew York and Beyond

Innova 686

Brewed by Noon
Aram Bajakian -guitar
Thierno Camara-bass and vocals
Abdoulaye Diabate-vocals,guitar,percussion
Susan McKeown-vocals
Mat Maneri-viola
Marc Ribot -guitar
Jamaaladeen Tacuma- bass
Sean Noonan -etectro-acoustic drum set/compositions

CD
1 Esspi
2 Zaman*
3 No Strings Attached
4 Noonbrews
5 Karaslama+
6 Jamaaladeen
7 Pat the Cat
8 Dr. Sleepytime
9 Pumpkinhead

DVD
1 Being Brewed by Noon documentary
by Tom Asma

MUSIC VIDEOS

2 Pumpkinhead
3 Masana Cisse
4 Urban

At one point in the documentary that you are holding Sean Noonan says "Insome ways I think of myself as an ethnomusicologist. But I'm really not, I'mjust a drummer."

Social science's loss is music's gain, as Noonan's contributions
continue to grow.

Noonan's musical path hasn't been easy. While touring in 2004 with
jazzcore trio the Hub, Noonan was badly wounded when a drunk-driver slammedinto their van late one night in Italy as the band navigated dark roads to getto the next gig. Sean's injuries left him struggling for his life, and his legswere badly mangled. But Sean not only survived, he made a stunningly rapidcomeback and, if anything, has emerged even more focused and determined to makemusic that matters.

The injury and Sean's road back is an important  perhaps essential part ofthe Noonan story. Always driven and determined, those who know Sean will agreethat the musician who bravely endured pain to play the music that was likelife-blood to him have seen a drive and passion that have surpassed what heshowed in the past.

Sean has developed as an astute band-leader, something in the
eccentric tradition of Sun-Ra, rallying his band-mates in his boxer's
robe, or showing up to rehearsal in the Russian gangster look he's
been cultivating of late (mono-color tracksuit, big chains,
sunglasses), coalescing his style and ideas into the music, directing
an eclectic group of musicians from a variety of different cultures. He hasproven to be a shrewd evaluator of talent, allowing the talents of young AramBajakian to flourish on guitar in the musical mixture he has cooked up, keepingan eye on all the ingredients to make sure that no one element overshadows therest, and all lend a bit of distinctive flavor.  Through his uniquepersona, the sincerity of his ideas and--more than anything--his stunninglyoriginal music, Sean has managed to put together a band in Brewed by Noon thatbridges both generations and cultures.

Brewed by Noon is one of the more appropriate names for any band
you'll find. "I don't like the word fusion," Noonan says. "Itmakes
you think of different elements fused together, which doesn't
necessarily sound natural. Brewed on the other hand sounds like
something you took the time to develop, and that's what I've been
going for."

It's worked, as the music made by Brewed by Noon has none of the
self-aggrandizing, often indulgent characteristics of fusion. Much as the Hubhas been able to bring together elements of jazz, classical, hip-hop and punkrock without sounding derivative, Brewed by Noon borrows from a bouillabaisseof elements that includes Celtic music, West African folk, as well as jazz andhard rock, but winds up sounding nothing like any of these things.

With a grant from American Composers Forum, Sean was able to create music thatreaches back into the story-telling traditions of Ireland and Africa and whiletelling us something about how we live today. To put legendary musicians likeMarc Ribot and Jamaaladeen Tacuma on stage with African musicians, an Irishfolk singer, and a rising young guitarist of Armenian decent, and watch thembring to life the music that Sean has dreamed up, like a phoenix rising fromthe ashes of a near-death experience, is not just uplifting, butlife-affirming. And like the difference between something fused and somethingbrewed, it is a subtle distinction, but one that means everything.
- Jeremy Hurewitz

All compositions by Sean Noonan
Published by S.P. Noonan Music (ASCAP)
except:  +Karaslama-Aram Bajakian *Zaman -Thierno Camara

Live CD Performances in NYC, Holland, Slovenia Jan-May 2007

Live DVD Performances in NYC, Holland, Slovenia, Germany, and Poland 2003-2007

Recorded by: Aya Takemura, Bill Mulvey, Jason Lafarge, and Sean Nonan
Mixed and Edited by: Aram Bajakian and Jason Lafarge
Documentary by Tom Asama
Video by Sean Noonan
Cover Photography by:  Dirk Eusterbrock
Musician Photography by Gerard Beckers, Dirk Eustebrock, Andreas Neubauer,Christian Deblanc, and Roland Dumoulin
Packaging by Scott Friedlander

innova is supported by an endowment from the McKnight Foundation. PhilipBlackburn director
Chris Campbell operations manager

This project was funded in part by the New York Sate Music Fund, established bythe New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. This is due in part from when New York State Attorney General's Officeresolved investigations against major record companies that had violated stateand federal laws prohibiting "pay for play" (also called"payola").

Additional albums featuring Sean Noonan on innova
#579 Trucker and #598 Chips
www.innova.mu

For additional info visit
www.brewedbynoon.com