Fusion maestro Oz Noy expands his palette of influences by enlisting the help of a horn section and special guests. Noy basks in the funkalicious glory of instrumental ’60s soul. Jazz-rock Strat lines and slide comingle within blues and gospel changes, as lush horn arrangements and solos adorn vibrant production.

His band includes drummers Chris Layton, Rocky Bryant, and Steve Wolf; bassist Will Lee and Roscoe Beck; and Jerry Z on keys. Noy adds horn players Chris Potter, Randy Brecker, and keyboard wiz John Medeski to the mix. Soulful organ augment a horn-heavy instrumental record with loads of great guitar playing.

“Ice Man” features spanky guitar riffs starring Robben Ford in excellent form, followed by Dweezil Zappa on the effects-laden “Damn, This Groove.” Noy gives the Hendrix classic “Little Wing” a touch of jazz as Living Colour’s Corey Glover stirs the heavens with poignant vocal intensity. Joe Bonamassa rounds out the track list on the Thelonious Monk shuffle “Five Spot Blues” with his patented barrage of dexterous pentatonic lines.

Who Gives A Funk is a super accessible record that caters to fans of toe-tapping groove.

This article originally appeared in VG‘s August ’16 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.