SEAN NOONAN, The Drummer of Tedworth

Listeners reveling in the fascinating, chaotic revelry and glorious, imaginative insanity of Sean Noonan’s epic work The Drummer of Tedworth will glean a bit of his conceptual intention for the project in the opening choral section of the final (and 21st) piece “Give the Drummer a Chance,” before the London Symphony Orchestra goes to town with its boisterious, emphatic swells leading to a whimsical, somehow satisfying narrative conclusion. The chorus sings, “Let the drummer come again/Give the drummer a chance/Give this drummer one more chance” before delving into some of

Noonan’s whimsical absurdity with the clever rhyme “So I can buy some more underpants.”

The method to this madness – powerfully and surreally expressed on this landmark double album recorded with – or more, to the point, in front of – the legendary London Symphony Orchestra – finds Noonan asserting his multi-talents beyond the groove, sort of an avant-garde orchestral and theatrical version of Phil Collins and Don Henley singing the hits from behind the kit.

From the fanfare and captivating opening spoken word bustle of the opening track of CD 1 (Pnoom) “Not I Eating Makeup in a Pool of Ketchup” – which opens with the revelatory expository line “My mirror sits and peers into the eyes of my mind” – through the aforementioned closing piece that comes two tracks after the plot twisting, deliriously anthemic historical fiction romp “Benjamin Franklin, We Will Take Your Mind” (on the cryptically titled Part II CD Hy Lies Ahead), Noonan goes to town with his clever, offbeat sweeping narrative.

Musically, the drummer showcases his ample chops for a myriad of musical styles in service of wild theatricality – from traditional and modern jazz and contemporary classical to global music with a folkloric twist. For literature aficionados, his promo materials take his artful, oddball but somehow in harmony fusion a step further: As if Samuel Beckett had taken up punk jazz. Hey, we may always be Waiting for Godot, but in the meantime, Noonan can fire up the orchestra, create percussive and vocal adventures galore and keep us on our toes in case he never arrives.

As listeners find themselves enthralled with the fanciful swirl of offbeat charms, playful and humorous storytelling and the soul-stirring blend of harmonious rapture and cacophonous oddity, they might be inclined to think the ever-creative, impossible to pin down Noonan pulled the story out of thin air (or via guidance from a mischievous deity). It’s a surreal fantasy that feels too bizarre to actually be rooted in something historical or even mythical from another time.

That’s not the case, of course, but check out where he gets his inspiration. The Drummer of Tedworth finds Noonan re-imagining the 17th Century English Mythology of the ghost story of the same name. The work is based on the haunting in Wilshire where a spectral drummer (see the connection?!) allegedly plagued a local magistrate’s home with rhythmic disturbances. It’s a 300-year-old ghost story he clearly relishes turning into a sometimes absurd but continuously compelling metaphysical odyssey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-hmjOAyUOc

For history buffs, or even if dazzling, dancing orchestral pieces like the flute-flurried, funked up gems like “The Pterodactyls Have Landed” and the whimsical, fluttery “Tin Can Ritual” or the ghoulish Bernard Hermannesque drama of “Martian Refugee” pique your curiosity even just a little, it should be mentioned that the case was popularized by Joseph Glanville in his 1681 book Saducismus Triumphatus. The author used it as “scientific” evidence to prove the existence of spirits and witches. Skeptics then and now often suggest it may have been a hoax orchestrated by the children, staff or Drury’s associates to harass the magistrate.

Not that, as with any epic classical-rock opera, one can’t just simply listen to individual tunes for the sheer bizarre flights of fancy they offer and inspire, but the narrative follows Noonan’s

The narrative follows Noonan’s alter ego Olis, described as a “disembodied seeker” searching for formless enlightenment. Uniquely, this other self rejected birth, believing that achieving this transcendence would be easier without a physical body. The contrast between earthy tribal drumming and this ethereal protagonist is striking. His quest? Pnoom! It’s a made up term that represents everything within the narrative’s off kilter logic.

In both The Drummer of Tedworth and Noonan’s offshoot show PITH – a multidisciplinary performance concept that distills the themes of the larger work into a raw and intimate format – Olis journeys through a transitional surreal mist (illuminated in “Feth Fiada” as the spoken poetry: “Earth Turns Me Around/Power of stone power of mist/All through the gate/We’ll take back our minds”) and all sorts of cosmic derring-do.

Olis, bless his heart, eventually inhabits Noonan’s own body after being “born” from a Martian refugee named Emmr. Emmr is later pursued by another absurdist character names “Accabadora, Who Tickled Me To Death” (presumably with intense orchestral noise and mystical percussion!). Things really go off the rails, anachronistically and delightfully so, with a mind-hijacking prank pulled on American icon Benjamin Franklin to steal an invention he called the “Stammerjammer.” Over the shifting dynamics of the orchestra, Noonan intones over and over “Benjamin Franklin we need your mind,” urging him to “take a long nap” so by dawn, “we’ll put it right back.”

A bit about Noonan: Currently based in London, he’s renowned for his unique “speaking drummer style,” which blends voice and percussion into what he calls his “fifth limb.” Dedicating to fusing punk-jazz, harmolodic jazz, rock opera and modern orchestral aesthetics, he travels the world gathering folklore and tales he can adapt into complex narratives like The Drummer of Tedworth. He currently leads the Pavees Dance ensemble and The Noonan Trio featuring Matthew Bourne and Michael Bardon. He also founded the Brooklyn based trio The Hub.

To coincide with the album’s release, Noonan will premiere the work on March 30, 2026 at the Milton Court Concert Hall in London featuring St. Paul’s Sinfonia, conducted by Darren Bloom.