The Oz Noy-Joe Bonamassa Band Feat. Steve Ferrone & Will Lee (Early Show)
The Bitter End147 Bleecker Street, New York 10012
Oz Noy and Joe Bonamassa bring a guitar-led four-piece to The Bitter End, with Will Lee on bass and Steve Ferrone on drums. Billed as the early show, the set reunites musicians heard together in earlier Bitter End gigs and on Noy’s Booga Looga Loo. Reports of their previous performances describe jazz-blues playing, including a take on John Coltrane’s “Equinox,” with Lee and Ferrone supplying a “rock-solid foundation.”
Born in Israel, Noy moved to New York in 1996 and has become, in Jazz Journal’s words, “one of the most original and revered guitar players to emerge from the New York City scene.” His music fuses funk, rock, bop and blues, though Noy puts it more simply: “It’s Jazz. It just doesn’t sound like it.” His collaborators include Bonamassa, Richard Bona, Chris Botti, Nile Rodgers, Elvis Costello, John Patitucci, Mike Stern, Steve Lukather and Sting. Reviewing a prior Bitter End set, The Village View called the music “pure fire,” praising Noy’s solos and Bonamassa’s playing “with great feel.”
The Bitter End has been a fixture of Greenwich Village since 1961, known as one of New York City's oldest rock clubs. It's a modest basement club with a stage and a bar, where the audience sits close to the performers. The room has exposed brick walls and a rustic feel, and the atmosphere is warm and conversational. Shows are typically ticketed with a small cover charge, and the evening combines listening to live music with casual conversation and drinks. The venue has hosted legends like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, and continues to be a place where songwriters and musicians share new material. It's a steady, reliable spot for live music in the city.