Album Notes

Review:
Wyrd (2001), the fourth release from New York guitarist Greg Rapaport, provides an exciting glimpse at a world where metal, funk and some other as-yet-unnamed musical mutation live in a kind of bizarre and wholesomely unsettling harmony. Whether the clear Sunday morning funk/jazz runs of “Mahdah,” the airy, imaginative “Bugjuice,” or the plain crazy “Diminished Returns,” Wyrd becomes a kind of feast for those wishing to dine on exciting and dense (yet still accessible) harmonic matter. Of course that's not to say that the music here is without heart, for heart is a common denominator to all the tracks, though “Silk,” the penultimate piece seems to speak the word most loudly and serves to solidify Wyrd's status as a winning recording, one of the most intriguing and refreshing instrumental releases in recent memory, one that could finally launch Rapaport into (inter)national acclaim.
(Jedd Beaudoin-Ytsejam.com)

Greg is a seven-string guitarist whose musical focus is a combination of instrumental progressive-metal and jazz-fusion. Currently living in Cortland, New York (Northern Westchester County), he writes and records his own material in his project studio.

Wyrd

Greg's most recent project entitled "Wyrd" is an eclectic mix of prog-metal, jazz, rock and funk. On the disc, Greg challenges himself by mixing jazzy chord progressions with aggressive metal. By implementing clean melodic lines and bursts of fiery technicality in his solos, he establishes the common thread that holds the music together.

Influences

A seasoned player of 25 years Greg has grown into a competent songwriter and soloist. His influences include Scott Henderson, Allan Holdsworth, Greg Howe and Jimmy Page. Also influential in Greg's development is his work in area bands. Teaching part time has also helped widen his scope musically while providing many new and different musical perspectives.