Oz Noy - Snapdragon

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.”