Oz Noy Trio at the Bitter End

Oz Noy

At age 10 in his native Israel, Oz Noy learned to play Israeli music and Beatles songs on his guitar, gradually exploring and expanding his repertoire to bebop jazz, blues, pop and heavy metal. By his mid-teens, he was playing alongside top Israeli musicians, and by his mid-20s he was one of the most established studio guitarists in his country. Noy emigrated to New York in 1996 and has frequently led all-star bands at the Bitter End, the 55 Bar and Iridium. Each performance has featured different collaborators, but often they have been among New York's top session musicians, including Will Lee, Anton Fig and Bernard Purdie. Noy has released eight studio albums and six instructional videos; his most recent album, Ozone Squeeze, a collaboration with keyboardist/vocalist Rai Thistlethwayte and drummer Darren Stanley, was released on September 15, 2017.

Noy plays in a trio or quartet most Monday nights at the Bitter End. Tonight, his accompanists were bassist Fima Ephron and drummer Andrew Atkinson. Playing an all-instrumental set, Noy started many songs with Wes Montgomery-styled smooth jazz melodies which then broke into angular Thelonious Monk-like twists. Improvisational jams abounded, and performing without a keyboardist on this night meant that Noy had to do more heavy lifting than usual. Noy employed various technical schools in his solos, coloring his virtuosic approaches with artistry along with proficiency. Snatches of rhythm and blues, funk, blues and rock grooves gave the fabric additional textures. As such, the Oz Noy Trio provided a night of fusion jazz geared to listeners who normally would not attend a jazz concert.

Visit Oz Noy at www.oznoy.com.