While other fusion guitarists have received wider international acclaim, Israeli-born, US-resident guitarist Oz Noy has been working in the trenches, slowly amassing a discography as impressive for its writing as it is his tastefully virtuosic playing. Schizophrenic, the guitarist's fourth release since his 2005 Magnatude Records debut, Ha!, demonstrates considerable growth in both departments.
    Straddling the jazz-rock fusion line—sometimes leaning a little more heavily on one than the other—Noy's music has always defined by visceral groove, inventive melody, and an effervescent energy that sometimes simmers, sometimes boils.
    Noy is also a loyal band leader who's been working with most of the players here since Ha!. Once again, Anton Fig and Keith Carlock split—and, on the "Beat It"-like groove of "120 Heart Beats," greasy "Elephant Walk," and funky title track, share—drum duties, but this time the guitarist also brings in Dave Weckl for a first encounter on four of the album's nine Noy originals. Weckl drives "Twice in a While" which, with its easygoing groove and sophisticated harmonies, sounds like something from the Steely Dan repertoire, while playing it more softly on the aptly titled "Seven," a lyrical, 7/4 ballad.
    In addition to Fig and Carlock, Noy's other constant companion from the start has been bassist Will Lee, a Saturday Night Live band alum, still-current member of Paul Schaffer's Late Show with David Letterman group and sideman on hundreds of rock, pop, and jazz recording sessions, ranging from The Brecker Brothers and Steve Khan to Dr. John and Robben Ford. Here this unshakable groove-meister goes it alone for the first time, playing on all nine tracks and pushing the pulse on the upbeat "Ice Pick" and down-and-dirty "Jelly Blue," where he also trades off empathically with the heavily processed Noy...
... Noy's growth from Ha! to Schizophrenic is palpable; here's a guitarist who's as good as any of the larger fusion names out there and is, in many cases, a more accomplished writer. Why he's not as well-known is a mystery, but if Schizophrenic is a first-encounter, it's bound to bring the guitarist some new fans, while delivering plenty to keep his existing ones beyond happy. ~ JOHN KELMAN, allaboutjazz.com

...Oz Noy, one of the most proficient, fluid, and inventive contemporary instrumental guitarists in the U.S., unleashes the sonic equivalent of a turbo-charged luxury high-performance sports vehicle that hugs the highway and cruises in the fast lane. With his new instrumental album Schizophrenic (Ma gnatude Records) – as off-the-hook as it is sophisticated – the native Israeli guitarist once again navigates the gnarly twist and turns of the metaphorical musical road...