Bill Moio "Arroz Con Pollo" (Rice and Chicken) from the album "TRY THIS"

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First album in 25 years, co-produced by keyboardist George Whitty, is alternately smooth and swinging, with nods to his guitar heroes George Benson, Pat Martino and Wes Montgomery.

After spending decades on the casino circuit of Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe, veteran guitarist Bill Moio has crafted a gem in Try This, his first album since 1999’s Let’s Go. Co-produced by acclaimed keyboardist-arranger George Whitty (who has toured and/or recorded with the likes of Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, Grover Washington, Jr., Bill Evans, Richard Bona, Chaka Khan, Dave Matthews, Santana, Oz Noy and Céline Dion), Moio’s second album as a leader is not only a showcase of his impeccable six-string work, it also reveals his accomplished songwriting prowess in ten pleasing originals.

From the funky Tower of Power-inspired title track to the soulful, blues-tinged “Struttin’,” the gorgeous ballad “Friends Again” and smooth jazz cruising numbers, “Chuckles” and “Straight Talk,” Moio and his cohort Whitty concocted a virtual two-man show on Try This through their accomplished keyboard sampling/sequencing technology and adept drum programming. The result is quite organic-sounding and authentic, while the guitarist unleashes his remarkably fluent chops in scintillating fashion.

Along the way, the native of South Portland, Maine and resident of Paradise Valley, Arizona also sneaks in a few tips of the hat to guitar heroes Pat Martino (“720 Berkeley” and “I’ve Heard It All Before”) and Wes Montgomery (particularly his thumbed octaves work on “Straight Talk,” “Let It Begin” and “Chuckles”). A cadre of colleagues — alto saxophonist Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea Elektric Band), bassist Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets) and drummer Tom Brechtlein (Chick Corea, Wayne Shorter, Al Di Meola, Jean-Luc Ponty, Robben Ford) — appear as special guests on two tracks, “Try This” and “Struttin’” (Brechtlein also appears separately on “Need to Know”). Trumpeter Wayne Bergeron and trombonist Andy Martin bulk up the synthesized horn section on “Struttin’” and the Latin flavored closer, “Arroz con Pollo.” And the full-sounding complement of digital horns and strings on “I’ve Heard It All Before” and “Friends Again” sound as convincing as the real deal.

“George and I would meet via Zoom once a week on Tuesdays at 1 pm,” Moio explained. “We’d work on tunes for an hour or so, then we’d get together the next week to work on more. And that’s how we did it. Everything was done over the internet through file sharing.” Moio added, “Last year I finally got to meet George in person when he came to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix to play with Lee Ritenour, which was a real treat.”

With the January 2025 release of Try This on ITI Records, guitar aficionados and smooth jazz fans alike will be introduced to this Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition, who has been flying under the radar for decades. “That would be great,” acknowledged Moio, “because I’ve always just been the local working guy. I never toured. I was fortunate that I worked six, sometimes seven nights a week in the Reno, Tahoe and the Las Vegas area, playing at the casinos and shows for decades. But I always kept working on my playing during the day and was always writing tune ideas. And now it’s just so great for me to be expanding beyond that with this album. It’s been such an educational process for me. It’s just been a great ride.”

Moio initially hooked up with his co-producer Whitty during the pandemic when he began taking online piano lessons with him through ArtistWorks.com. As he recalled, “I figured it would help me get better piano chops for writing my tunes. Eventually, we started doing the Logic program together and began working on my tunes, and before you know it George said, ‘Hey, man, this stuff sounds pretty good. You ought to do more.’ So, I ended up writing these ten tunes you hear on Try This. George then connected me with Jimmy Haslip, who connected me with ITI Records. And that’s how the album came about.”

Whether he’s flying through Benson-esque single note lines with nonchalant abandon, as on the emphatic opener, “Try This,” the soulful “720 Berkeley,” the urgent “Struttin’” or the smokin’ cha-cha-chá, “Arroz con Pollo,” or summoning up smooth Wes-like octaves on more relaxed fare like “Let It Begin,” “I’ve Heard It All Before,” “Chuckles” and “Need to Know,”

Moio has also performed with the legendary soul band Tower Of Power and has appeared with such jazz and contemporary jazz artists as saxophonists Marc Russo and Richard Elliot, multi-instrumentalist and singer Ellis Hall, trombonist Bill Watrous, guitarist Joe Diorio and organ great Joey DeFrancesco.

Now with Try This, Moio is showcasing his remarkable fretboard prowess and songwriting talents to a much wider audience. “I still practice every day and work on new stuff,” he confided.

Moio follows that example, with a few twists of his own along the way, on Try This.