RETURN OF THE NOONATICS JUMP STARTS A NEW SEASON!
Our inaugural show for the 2025–26 season features Matt Weiner’s Noonatics, a combination that debuted on our stage in March 2023 as a tip of the hat to the great New Orleans clarinetist Jimmie Noone. While Noone played and recorded in various groups in his 31 years as a professional reed man, the Noonatics are reminiscent of one band in particular: the Apex Club Orchestra, a quintet that played at the Apex Club on Chicago’s South Side from 1926 to 1929. That band featured Earl Hines on piano, with Noone and Joe Poston on clarinet and alto sax. The combination of two reeds playing in the front line without the benefit of at least one brass instrument was an innovation at the time, and the band’s records are now recognized as jazz classics.
The Noonatics’ 2025 personnel is similar to that of 2023, except for two changes. As before, Matt will be playing tenor banjo, Paul Woltz alto saxophone, Jacob Zimmerman clarinet and alto sax, and Jonathan Doyle bass sax. The differences are that trombonist Christian Pincock will be joining Jacob and Paul on the front line, and Ray Skjelbred will be replacing Andrew Oliver on piano.
While we’ll hear some of Noone’s signature tunes (which may include such titles as Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me, Apex Blues, Ready for the River, and Sweet Sue) bandleader Weiner says not to expect a slavish adherence to the Apex Club recordings: “We love Noone’s music for its solid rhythm and beautiful two-horn clarinet and alto sax arrangements, but we’re more interested in using this approach to create something new rather than recreating what he already did.
“The idea of copying his recordings never gets discussed in our band, and it’s not our goal. What we want to retain as much as anything is a love for the songs we play. There’s something natural about the Apex recordings which sounds folksy—and I use the term in the best sense—just five folks sitting around playing the way they like. You can tell they really loved playing the music. You can tell this from the care they took to begin each song with the verse, to sing the lyrics as written, and to follow the original chord changes from the sheet music.
“One of the best things about jazz is that when you change a musician or add a player, you get a different sound. The addition of Christian Pincock’s trombone brings to the band another harmonic voice, as well as a new set of tonal effects, since he plays both slide and valve trombone. As far as having Ray playing piano instead of Andrew, we love either one. Andrew is more of a Jelly Roll Morton player, while Ray can sound more like Earl Hines, the original pianist in Noone’s band.”
A couple of things we can be sure of. We’ve heard all of these musicians before, and they’ve never failed to please. We also know the music will be a particular delight to dancers, because the Apex band was famous for its danceable rhythms. So come see, listen, and feel the rhythm of the band at the Ballard Elks lodge on September 21. And please bring a friend or two.
Remember, those under 21 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult paying admission.
