Israeli electric guitarist Oz Noy must realize that not even serious musicians (like himself) can listen to mindless shredding all of the time. That would explain why he injected Schizophrenic, his third all-instrumental CD, with enough quirky attitude and ego-free chops to make the disc a refreshing and vibrant hour-long listen that doesn’t wear out its welcome after the first three tracks. Noy borrows heavily from jazz (and actually sounds a bit sleepy at times), but he also adds healthy doses of rock, funk, prog and blues—mimicking Stevie Ray Vaughan, channeling Pat Metheny and pulling a Jimi Hendrix trick or two out of his back pocket.

A witty, flexible player who allows his guitar to take unexpected turns, Noy is joined on Schizophrenic by several hired guns, including fellow axeman Steve Lukather and CBS Orchestra drummer Anton Fig.