Month: November 2008

  • Oz Noy – Fuzzy

    Oz Noy’s brand of fusion rests in unique bends, sounds, and flurries. His leanings are definitely jazz, but there are plenty of rock influences in the Israeli-born guitarist’s music.

    Noy’s quirkiness shows up on cuts like “Cosmic Background,” where he supplies chords and choppy rhythms that at first seem a little off-kilter, but end up perfect and lovely by the end. “Epistrofunk” lets us in on his unique style. The intro is major-league funk, but by the middle is about jangly chords and an odd-time feel before it locks back in to James Brown-land. “Evidence” is another one of those quirky tunes that ultimately takes on the air of a jazz standard. Oz’s ballad work is in a place of its own, too; “Three Wishes” is stately, almost to the point of sounding like a classical music piece. “In a Simple Way” is beautiful, and his take on Prince’s “Sometimes It Snows In April” features chiming chords and a lovely middle-eastern feel highlighted by Oz’s electric sitar playing. The song is also a perfect example of the man’s chops. While it’s obvious he can play anything, his imagination and feel make him unique.

    Noy has some fine help throughout the CD – names you may know, like Will Lee, Keith Carlock, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Jim Beard are huge on the New York jazz scene, so don’t be surprised to see Noy’s name becoming as familiar as theirs.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s Mar ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • Otis Taylor – Recapturing the Banjo

    Multi-instrumentalist Taylor has never been afraid to push the blues envelope, both stylistically (ranging from Appalachian to psychedelic to explorations with jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara) and lyrically (boldly addressing social and racial issues). Even though his latest effort reaches back in time, as its title indicates, it’s far from an exercise in nostalgia or academia. And as the title also implies, Taylor is reclaiming something that was once part of black culture but has rarely been part of modern black American music, the African banjo.

    Joining Taylor’s mission are Keb’ Mo’, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Guy Davis, Corey Harris, and Don Vappie – playing banjo and other instruments in various combinations – and the bandleader’s daughter, Cassie, on vocals and bass.

    Taylor’s haunting opener, “Ran So Hard The Sun Went Down,” features four banjos (Taylor, Hart, Harris, and Vappie), while Hart’s banjo on the traditional “Deep Blue Sea” is backed only by Taylor’s drumming. And Gus Cannon’s chestnut, “Walk Right In” (by Cannon’s Jug Stompers before becoming a Folk Boom hit by the Rooftop Singers), sits comfortably alongside a Hendrix-inspired “Hey Joe,” punctuated by Hart’s lap steel.

    Keb’ Mo’s reading of Taylor’s inspiring “Live Your Life” is perhaps the set’s most transcendent track.

    Conspicuous in his absence from any ensemble (and barely mentioned in Dick Weisman’s rather dry, pedantic liner notes) is Taj Mahal, who was incorporating banjo into his eclectic blues albums 40 years ago. This is, of course, Taylor’s project (you can find Taj’s banjo work dotting his own bulging catalog), but credit where credit’s due would have been nice.


    This article originally appeared in VG‘s May ’08 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

  • November 2008

    FEATURES

    WARNER HODGES
    Ahead of His Time… Two Times
    The son of musicians who toured with USO bands, he grew up immersed in “cry in your beer” country. As a member of the cutting-edge “alt country” band Jason and the Scorchers, he flirted with fame and fortune. By Ward Meeker

    AMP-O-RAMA
    The Hiwatt Custom 50
    Marshall might have established valvulicious rock lead tone in the late 1960s, but for power and punch, Hiwatt ruled the roost. This one used the same circuit as the famed Custom 100, minus four output tubes. By Dave Hunter

    GIBSON PRE-WAR ELECTRIC BASS
    The fretted electric bass perfected and popularized by Fender’s Precision of 1951 was not a new concept at the dawn of the electric era. This instrument, one of three known to exist, bears proof it was fairly developed by the ’30s. By George Gruhn and Walter Carter

    THE DUANE ALLMAN “LAYLA” GUITAR?
    A ’57 Gibson Les Paul Emerges To Tell a Story
    Taken in trade by a music store in Florida, it was sold to a local recording studio in 1977. Shortly afterward, its new owner started to wonder if maybe it wasn’t much more than just another Les Paul. By Ward Meeker

    BERNIE LARSEN
    Sideman, Solo Artist, Engineer, Producer, Independent Spirit
    As a sideman, he stands above the crowd for wearing many hats and the distinctive voice and sensibility he brings to the roles. But better evidence of those traits is demonstrated on his solo records. By Dan Forte

    ST. MORITZ STEREO
    The mass-produced stereo guitar didn’t become a reality until Jimmie Webster persuaded Gretsch to develop the White Falcon in 1955. Gibson followed in ’56 with the stereo ES-345, and a decade later this guitar was introduced, sort of a “poor man’s alternative.” By Michael Wright

    BASS SPACE
    The B.C. Rich Stealth
    Using a platform co-designed by Rick Derringer, this rare axe was custom-built for Richie King of the L.A. band Sorcery, which shared the stage with Van Halen and other SoCal hard rock acts. By Willie G. Moseley

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