Noy, Oz: Triple Play

I am always on the lookout for some cool guitar music, and Oz Noy has been on my radar for a while, but I’ve not gotten around to checking him out. But, under the tutelage of my buddy George Lamie, I’m learning the names of who to watch, and when you see Dennis Chambers (drums) and Jimmy Haslip (bass), it’s as good as any place to start. I hear a lot of blues in Noy’s playing, but he does sneak in those unexpected notes and phrases that jazzers love to feed us.

The trio format is wonderful, but also can leave guitarist and band exposed, but not here folks. Noy goes back and forth between chording and single note lines, and blends the two well. To my ears, Noy will throw some Hendrix licks around (“Snapdragon�) and that leads to some similarities to Stevie Ray Vaughn in terms of tone and approach. “Groovin’ Grant� has a Wes Montgomery feel and it gets smoking. I imagine going to a local club and hearing these guys rip, and that’s what this album represents to me, a true unvarnished live gig. Rich notes pop out of Noy’s single coils for “Boom Boo Boom�, add a little tremolo for good measure. It’s a familiar tone, and you’ll hear it often from Noy. Haslip throws out enjoyable walking bass lines while Chambers gets flashy adding insane fills towards the end of the track. “Billie’s Bounce� slows things down, giving Haslip a chance to step out for some fine bass soloing, tasty subtle playing from Noy follows. “Chocolate Souffle� comes off as a shuffle to my ears, and Noy seems right at home here jamming away. Chambers gives everyone a kick in the pants with his intro for the rocking “Looni Tooni�, which after a few listens has become my favorite track in this collection, so catchy.

Noy closes out the set with the unaccompanied “Twice in a While� which is quite impressive, and goes out on a high note with another fun rocker “Twisted Blues�. I think you’ll find Noy leans heavy on the blues, playing with a fairly pure tone, nothing is overdone with effects, for the most part it sounds like plug in and play, and that’s refreshing.

Track List:
1. Zig Zag
2. Groovin’ Grant
3. Boom Boo Boom
4. Billie’s Bounce
5. Snapdragon
6. Chocolate Souffle
7. Looni Tooni
8. Twice in a While
9. Twisted Blues

Added: November 4th 2023
Reviewer: Eric Porter
Score:
Related Link: Artists @ Bandcamp
Hits: 703
Language: english

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