East meets West in this joyous live-in-studio recording by two guitar greats. Oz Noy, a New York-based jazz icon, and Los Angeles session ace and solo star Andrew Synowiec spent just one day recording Recreational Substance. This collection of original songs also features Hadrien Feraud on bass and Marvin “Smitty” Smith on drums.
Together, they’ve created a fine melding of powerful guitar-inspired fusion. According to Synowiec, who I interviewed recently, minimal preproduction was done; however, the songs were tested at a live gig shortly before Recreational Substance was recorded in the studio.
The combination of compositions and guitar styles is very complementary. The lead-off track, “Big City” by Synowiec, is a joyous festival. Synowiec’s meaty Les Paul initially carries the main theme, while Noy brings the funk with his Fender. The rhythm section drives home the point with a chunky backbeat while the two principals trade solos.
Noy’s composition “I Don’t Know Why,” which also appears on the guitarist’s 2006 release Oz Live, is a wonderful and bold revisiting of the song. Noy’s Telecaster provides a gritty tone to this energetic and funky tune. Smith and Feraud conspire to put their own stamp on the tune, and Synowiec provides tasty licks in addition to harmonized parts with Noy. The interplay and shifts in guitar tone are memorizing, as is the end-song drum solo.
Synowiec’s “Burn That Bridge” brings the smoke. The opening chancy rhythm passage and clipped bass parts set the tone. Smith’s shuffle is tasty and original. Synowiec utilizes a fuzz pedal for his lead before we jump into a greasy mid-song Les Paul solo. The song is toe-tapping good.
“Half Romantic” is an introspective melodic gem. Noy’s delicate picking carries the primary melodic element of the song. Feraud plays a brief yet tasty bass interlude that compliments the volume of pedal guitar passages, which I assume is Synowiec’s Les Paul. The song is a slow-burning, funk-infused gem that builds and builds with each bar.
Andrew Synowiec and Oz Noy offer variety in their playing and compositional styles. The nylon-string-driven “Brothers” finds the composer and Noy (on his 12-string acoustic), making this complex composition inviting and warm. “101 Blues” brings it all home with its infectious bluesy beat, Noy’s clean-sounding Stratocaster, and Synowiec’s melodic Les Paul.
Recreational Substance, out on House of Syn Records, has eight vibrant tracks. Synowiec and Noy will play a limited number of gigs to support the album. Listen to it and seek them out.
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