JIOSA On The Edge
VINTAGE GUITAR REVIEW
JOHN HEIDT

Fans of Denny Jiosa's elegant smooth jazz recordings are in for a shock with his new trio effort. Jiosa, bassist Jon von Boehm, and drummer John Toomey crank up the volume with efforts solidly rooted in rock, blues, and jazz.
The stylistic sidestep is evident immediately on the in-your-face opener,"Dynamite," with its heavier tone, very aggressive attack, pinched harmonics, and plain old volume. That said, Jiosa still proves to be an incredibly melodic player. On most of the record, the musical hooks stand out and stay with you. Funk and rock dominate "Blue Line to Largo," with jabbing 9th chords and stinging harmonics. Jiosa also fills a middle section with some straight rock and blues riffing before heading back to the funk. "Night Train to Marakesh" is an evocative piece with slinky, sitar-like guitar. Anyone familiar with his past work won't be surprised to hear the immediately memorable ballad "Redemption," which is more Jeff Beck than smooth jazz. A solo over a string section adds melodic flavor. "Spytime" is a straight-ahead boogie that gives Jiosa room to show off his nasty side with surprisingly tough chord changes and deft tremolo bar work.
Every cut except "Afraid of the Dark" is an instrumental. On the soul/pop cut, Jiosa's vocal is pleasant enough, but it's his melodic, bluesy solo that dominates the song.
Whether it's a stylistic move to escape a genre that appears to be sinking slowly or a move toward what he wants to do doesn't matter. Jiosa and his trio have fashioned a record that has great songs and skillful guitar playing aplenty.
http://dennyjiosa.com/music.html
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jiosa
                            Read more...
                        

                            
One of America’s top jazz-rock instrumental guitar exponents, Denny Jiosa returns in 2011 with Jiosa - On The Edge album. Among modern jazz guitar enthusiasts, Jiosa is renowned for his smooth jazz guitar stylings that sometimes mixed one part Earl Klugh with one part Jeff Beck. That Jeff Beck side of his playing—the more cutting edge Jiosa—comes out in full force on the 2011 CD release of On The Edge. Throughout the 12 track CD, the guitarist gets solid support from his band—John Toomey (drums) and Jon von Boehm (bass). Denny even gets in a vocal track that keeps in spirit with the overall edgy rock fusion style throughout. Jiosa continues to impress and the sonically appealing On The Edge may very well be his best album to date.
                            Read more...
                        

                            
If you are looking for something to get you up and going, get your pulse racing...You've found it!!

GREAT craftsmanship, as you would expect from Denny Jiosa. I'm no music expert--is it rock? Rockin' jazz?  I just know it has a driving beat and I like it! And it sounds like they had a ball doing it.

Buy it , put on your earphones (and seatbelt) and take off!
                            Read more...
                        

                            
The much anticipated new works from Mr. Jiosa did not disappoint me at all,, it's nothing short of awesome.  This guy can crank out some quality tunes!  The trio plays some very tight, driving rhythms and remind me of why I love this type of the music the most, in Jiosa style!
                            Read more...