Oz Noy: Twisted Blues Volume 1 (2011)

GLENN ASTARITA,

Glenn Astarita

Senior Contributor since 1997

Longtime contributor to AAJ and Downbeat, Jazz Review, EjazzNews, Radio DirectX.

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Published: February 11, 2012

Track review of "Trinkle Trinkle"

Born in Israel and a New Yorker since 1996, guitarist Oz Noy's star is on the rise with this fifth solo album, amid numerous session gigs with notable jazz and jazz-fusion artists. Ultimately, Noy brings a signature voice to the forefront and his global approach to the electric guitar imprints a trademark of sorts. With his slinky phrasings, odd-tunings and seething single note licks, the guitarist uncannily melds off-center maneuvers with conventional jazz, rock and blues frameworks. His sinewy licks, gut-wrenching crunch chords, ballistic crescendos and strong compositions are bolstered by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Allen Toussaint Allen Toussaint
b.1938
piano , all-world drummer Vinnie Colaiuta Vinnie Colaiuta
b.1956
drums , Texas guitar hero Eric Johnson Eric Johnson
and other VIPs, performing on select tracks.

Two Thelonious Monk Thelonious Monk
1917 - 1982
piano compositions are interspersed throughout nine tracks, which include six Noy originals. However, the program closes with a crafty spin on Monk's "Trinkle Trinkle," featuring bassist Roscoe Black and drummer Chris Layton. Here, Noy blends a hyper-mode rendition of the primary theme with his distortion-laced Fender Stratocaster, but toggles the flows between boogie-rock, fractured interludes and brisk shifts in direction. It's an all-encompassing cover, as Noy plays with the melody and tears his axe to shreds during the bridge. The guitarist also tosses in a few nods to Stevie Ray Vaughan Stevie Ray Vaughan
1954 - 1990
guitar , but this may or may not be by design. Indeed, it's a stunning reformulation of the inherent song form, as Noy kicks out the jams and gives rock a college education. A top-shelf selection for 2011.