Snapdragon (Abstract Logix)
Oz Noy
Released November 20, 2020
JazzTimes Top 40 Jazz Albums of 2021
YouTube:
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Spotify:
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About:
Constantly seeking untapped musical terrain, New
York-based guitarist and composer Oz Noy steps onto fertile ground with
Snapdragon.
The spry rhythmic wallop that characterized his previous album, the
backbeat-driven Booga Looga Loo, remains in full force — only now welded to an
open, bop-inflected chromaticism fostering a more dynamic, searching
improvisational energy. Intricately winding unison melody lines spiral out
across fatback rhythmscapes, expertly realized by an
impressive cast of soloists and supporting musicians.
Among those stoking the fires of the rhythm section are Dennis Chambers, Vinnie
Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Will Lee, James Genus, and John Patitiucci, while Noy
trades improvised solos and notated melodies with saxophonist Chris Potter,
keyboardists David Kikoski and Jason Lindner, trumpeter John Sneider, guitarist
Adam Rogers, and the recently deceased trumpet Wallace Roney, whose subtly
blues-tinged solo glides over the nimble rhythmic modulations of “Outer Look.”
Noy’s signature vision, as both a player and composer, is the beating heart of Snapdragon. The themes include six original compositions, alongside a surprising, evocative reading of the Zombies’ “She’s Not There” and two Thelonious Monk pieces. Throughout, Noy’s playing is alternately tender and treacherous, moving from open-hearted, nearly vocal melodic statements to the sort of ferociously off-kilter, explosive soloing that has made him a favorite amongst connoisseurs of guitarists and improvised music at large. In Noy’s universe, odd intervallic leaps, unresolved dissonances, and radiating slabs of electric distortion are heightened and enlivened by nimble funk. The resulting sound is simultaneously accessible and refreshing — an entirely modern refraction of the glorious tradition of greasy organ combos and gritty two-horn soul-jazz.
Track Listing:
1. Looni Tooni 06:46
2. Tired But Wired 06:47
3. Outer Look 06:30
4. She’s Not There (Rod Argent) 06:00
5. Boom, Boo Boom 06:46
6. Snapdragon 07:18
7. Evidence (Thelonious Monk) 05:04
8. Groovin’ Grant 06:41
9. Bemsha Swing [Alternate Take] (Thelonious Monk) 07:25
Personnel:
Oz Noy: guitar
Dennis Chambers: drums (1, 4)
Will Lee: bass (1, 2, 4)
Vinnie Colaiuta: drums (2, 3, 6, 9)
John Patitucci: acoustic bass (3, 6, 9)
Dave Weckl: drums (5, 7, 8)
James Genus: bass (5, 7, 8)
Daniel Sadownick: percussion
Anne Drummond: flute
John Sneider: trumpet (1)
Chris Potter: saxophone (2)
Wallace Roney: trumpet (3)
David Kikoski: piano (5)
Brian Charette: organ, Hammond B3 (6)
Adam Rogers: guitar (8)
Jason Lindner: synthesizer (9)
Recorded February 26 & 28, 2018, at Sweetwater Studios Forth Wayne, IN
Produced by Oz Noy
Recording engineers: Mark Hornsby and Shawn Dealey
Mixing by Neil Dorfsman
Mastering by Jim Brick
Photography: Cari Paige Artwork: Eva Hutter
Review:
It’s an old sentiment but it still holds that great
instrumental chops, enthralling as they may be, are fairly meaningless on their
own. And quite frankly, they are pretty ubiquitous these days with the internet
exposure machine going full tilt. Given all that, it’s quite easy for the
listener to become inured with technical prowess— especially wizardry of the
fretboard. So to say Oz Noy is a fantastic guitarist just isn’t enough anymore.
It’s fortunate then that what is (and always has been) immediately striking
about his music is the sheer range of stylistic influences those amazing chops
are tied to—and that they make a cohesive package at all. Many visages surface
and assemble to complete Noy’s distinct musical persona, including SRV
bluesyness, JB funkiness and Monk-like harmonic subversiveness along with an
updated Hendrix-like sonic experimentalism and a certain Zappa-esque
nod-and-a-wink mischievousness. In one box, these have always made for a
wonderfully interesting amalgam—much to the pleasure of musical eclectics—but
possibly it’s also been something of a conundrum in terms of Noy penetrating the
consciousness of a less “broad-eared” audience at large.
In more recent times, Noy has sought to emphasize some of the individual
aspects of his multi-layered musicality in his output— Twisted Blues Vols
I and II (Abstract Logix, 2011 and 2014 respectively), Who Gives a
Funk (Abstract Logix, 2016), Booga Looga Loo (Abstract Logix
2019), and even the neo-soul tinged vocal project Ozone
Squeeze (Abstract Logix, 2017)— perhaps as a way to better facilitate the
uninitiated coming to the party. And indeed these all have their individual
merits as worthy parts of his catalog. But it seemed anyone’s guess whether a
“best-of-all-worlds” record would be in the cards for Noy.
That seems to be exactly what his 11th
release, Snapdragon is—a record where Noy’s disparate influences have
found a unified front in their most accessible and exciting form yet, somehow
without sacrificing any of the wonderfully original voice he has forged. And,
as is generally the case, it’s not one identifiable thing that makes this
happen but a confluence of factors.
It most certainly helps that Noy is (again) supported by an impeccable group of
a-listers. First among these are drummers Dave Weckl, Dennis
Chambers and Vinnie Colaiuta—three that need only be referred to by
their first names alone in the drum world. Their subtle, explosive and reactive
contributions are strewn throughout Snapdragon and obviously smartly
encouraged by Noy on the sessions. Better still are the rhythm sections the
three form in teams with ace bassists Will Lee, James
Genus and John Patitucci. Any one pairing would be a recipe for
groove success, but the different combinations are like some divine smorgasbord
of pocket—especially in the context of Noy’s rhythmic penchants.
There are many guest appearances that spice things up as well
on Snapdragon. Turns by Noy and guitarist Adam Rogers electrify
“Groovin’ Grant,” while Chris Potter adds his largesse to
“Tired but Wired” with a rare showing on soprano sax. There’s also some
truly standout blowing from trumpeters John Snieder and the
late Wallace Roney (in his final recorded appearance). But perhaps
it’s Noy’s use of horns in a larger sense on Snapdragon that makes a
big difference.
Unlike many of his other projects, Noy often yields the floor to the horns or
other instruments to take the melodic lead of the compositions
on Snapdragon. Though his taking melodic center-stage was never a
detraction on past albums, his partial “laying back” here not only
adds more sonic variety but actually accentuates Noy’s unique melodic voice by
having it come through on other instruments. It also gives a lot more punch to
Noy’s guitar when it does take the spotlight. And when it does, it also shows
that Noy the player has never sounded more inventive or incendiary.
The material on Snapdragon includes a few covers—two Monk tunes
(“Evidence” and “Bemsha Swing”) and the Rod Argent- penned
Zombies / Santana staple “She’s Not There”—all re-rendered with equal
parts reverence, wit and signature Noy ingenuity. These and the nice range of
original tunes again give those disparate influences of Noy’s a grand staging
area, but it’s his obvious maturation as a composer, arranger and leader that
allows all of the above to shine in much more cogent way than ever before.
If one wanted to introduce Oz Noy to new ears, they would be hard-pressed to
find a more solid, inviting representation of who he musically is
than Snapdragon. That it’s also the album hard-core Noy fans should
recognize as his best yet is doubly exciting.
Mike Jacobs (All About Jazz)
