Les Paul Birthday Week Celebration: Robben Ford with Oz Noy Organ Trio with B...
About This Event
Robben Ford joins the Oz Noy Organ Trio at the Iridium for a set during Les Paul Birthday Week. Ford’s blues‑and‑jazz-inflected guitar meets Oz Noy’s rhythmically driven fusion approach, backed by Hammond-endorsed organist Brian Charette — a regular presence in DownBeat’s polls and a writer for several music publications — and drummer Shawn Pelton’s precise, groove-focused timekeeping.
About Les Paul Birthday Week Celebration
At the Iridium, the Les Paul Birthday Week Celebration continues with guitarist Robben Ford joining the Oz Noy Organ Trio, with Brian Charette on Hammond organ and Shawn Pelton on drums, alongside Oz Noy. Ford’s long, cross-genre career includes high-profile work with Miles Davis and Joni Mitchell, grounding the set in a lineage that moves between blues, jazz, and rock. Charette’s DownBeat Rising Star recognition signals the contemporary organ tradition at play. The pairing sketches a living map of New York’s club-bred improvisation culture, where rock vocabulary is treated as material rather than costume.
About the Artists
Oz Noy
Oz Noy is an Israeli-born guitarist and composer who has made New York City his base since the 1990s, moving between jazz, rock, blues, and funk with a fusion player’s instincts. A regular presence at Iridium, he leads projects like the Oz Noy Trio and the Oz Noy Organ Trio, and has shared bills there with artists including Wayne Krantz, Robben Ford, Brian Charette, and Shawn Pelton, alongside appearances tied to Les Paul celebrations.
Brian Charette
Brian Charette is Hammond endorsed organist, always near the top of Downbeat Critic's Poll. He has released 18 critically acclaimed albums and writes for many music magazines including Downbeat, Keyboard, NYC Jazz Record, and Muzikus (CZ)
Shawn Pelton
Shawn Pelton is a drummer working across rock and pop, often drawn into the blues-leaning side of New York’s club scene. At the Iridium, he has appeared in Les Paul Birthday Week lineups alongside guitarist Robben Ford and the Oz Noy Organ Trio, with organist Brian Charette.
Oz Noy Organ Trio
Oz Noy Organ Trio is a guitar-led group heard in New York City rooms like the Iridium, where the band has appeared during Les Paul Birthday Week events. The trio centers on Oz Noy with Hammond organist Brian Charette, a DownBeat Rising Star, and drummer Shawn Pelton, building sets that move between rock, pop, blues, and jazz language.
Robben Ford
Robben Ford is an American guitarist whose work moves between blues, jazz, and rock, shaped by bandstand experience as much as studio craft. Over decades he has played in groups including the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets and worked alongside artists such as Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, and George Harrison.