Noah Powell & Kevin Golden at O. Henry Hotel

Noah Powell is an idiosyncratic stylist and a restless improviser who push the limits of melody and harmony as much as any bebop horn player. The multivoiced Powell is capable of radical, off-the-cuff reworkings of whatever he sings, abruptly changing tempos and dynamics, or rearranging the lyrics into distinctive, off-the-beat rhythmic patterns. He can scat at lightning speed, or drive home an emotion with wordless, vocal gestures . Yet as much as Noah Powell is fascinated by pure, abstract sound, he is also a sensitive lyric interpreter of the ballad when he chooses.
Noah Powell is a native of Kinston NC and a graduate of North Carolina Central University (1983). As a working musician he has collaborated with some of the finest musicians in his native North Carolina. From 1984-86 Noah worked with Chip Crawford and in 1985 he replaced Nina Freelon as the vocalist for the William McLaughlin quartet later to be renamed Mastertrax. Noah joined the vocal group “A String of Pearls” directed by Ed. Paolantonio in 1986. Throughout the rest of the 80’s Noah did stints with Brother Yusuf Salim, Eve Cornelius and the Scott Sawyer trio among others.

During the first half of the 1990s Noah was front-man for the Stanley Baird group. At the late 90s into early 2000, Noah collaborated with guitarist Bob Tapp. Over the last four years Noah has collaborated and shared the stage with pianist Allison Wiener, Stephen Anderson, Ed Paolantonio and recently the Doug Largent trio. Noah is currently performing throughout the triangle and beyond with units of his choosing.