Guitarist Greg Howe’s musical journey has taken him farther than the majority of his “maximum note per minute” peers of the much maligned shred heyday of the late 80’s. Where some have been perfectly satisfied to rewrite the same riffs and rehash their pet licks (insert ‘Swedish virtuoso with funny name’ reference here) ad infinitum, Howe has demonstrated an ear for tone and composition that began leaving the simple “song as a vehicle to noodle over” template over a decade back. Fans couldn’t help but notice how jazz was becoming more and more of an influence on his playing, as well as a healthy dose of funk. This isn’t to say the guy doesn’t still knock you down with the sheer weight of his technical prowess — one spin of a tune like “Side Note” from Sound Proof will make you either practice harder or quit altogether. But it’s getting more apparent that he’s writing tunes that, while still hard to digest by most of the pop radio crowd, have crossed the line into instrumental music, with an emphasis on the “music.”

Sound Proof also demonstrates a distinctly self effacing sense of humor in the various skits scattered throughout — prank phone calls from an overbearing wind-bag guitar nerd that keeps filling up Howe’s answering machine with hyper technical drivel, or a disgusted New York radio station manager explaining in no uncertain terms that the guitarist’s music is migraine inducing and that Howe should, well, write a song. Of course these are staged — hopefully — but it’s an indication that Howe knows his market, knows his audience, and has no problem whatsoever poking fun at both them and himself.

That Howe now has an actual band behind him is another massive improvement over previous efforts. Gone are the electronic drums, the lack of real communication from the rhythm section (which is hard to accomplish if the musicians involved are in completely different parts of the country while recording) and the tunes are augmented by the presence of other very capable soloists: keyboardist David Cook and bassist Jon Reshard. Heck, the first lead break on the album comes from drummer Gianluca Palmieri. Rhythmic complexity abounds from the downbeat of “Emergency Exit,” but not at the expense of overall groove. Howe’s playing here, and all over the album, displays a new found embrace of a Scott Henderson/Zappa like anarchy. Whammy bar screeches, ring modulated squeaks and squawks — he doesn’t even play anything that really qualifies as “tonal” for the first 30 seconds of his solo here. And it’s wonderful to hear a player with all the technique in the world completely abandon it in the pursuit of something “else.”

If British fusion maestro Allan Holdsworth suddenly found his inner funk, the blazing cover of “Tell Me Something Good” could easily be the result. The slippery opening volley of notes quickly gives way to the instantly recognizable melody of the original, though delivered here by fuzzed out wah-wah guitar. The Latin bounce of “Reunion” is another indication of the guitarist’s compositional growth, as well as the previously mentioned penchant for the weird in the start of his solo. “Morning View” features a — dare I say — “singable” melody, as well as wonderful tone and phrasing from Howe. The amazing licks are here and fully on display, but they’re used with direction rather than a bunch of high speed flailing. The same goes for the ominous head of “Walkie Talkie,” with its knuckle bruising melodies doubled by bass and guitar. Both tunes find Howe abandoning the electric for understated and effective acoustic textures, sometimes when you least expect it.

Standout tracks? “Side Note” and “Child’s Play,” without a doubt. The former shows strong influence from some of the tunes on 2003’s excellent Extraction that featured fellow virtuosi Vic Wooten and Dennis Chambers, the latter an apt response to the skit that introduces it. The guitarist’s liquid phrasing and tone on “Child’s Play,” let alone the memorable verse and chorus stands as some his best writing and playing to date. Howe’s playing on both tunes is inspired and fiery, drawing a fine line between melody and improvisational abandon. The only possible stumble is the pretty but a bit too long “Sunset In El Paso,” which offers a much needed breather in its acoustic delivery, but rambles a tad. The title track’s clipped funk chords and syncopation is classic Howe, and gives bassist Reshard ample room to stretch. The guitar solo ain’t half bad either.

I’ve whined that instrumental guitar music has gotten a fairly bad rap over the years, and that the concept of the “guitar hero” was never a bad thing, just painted as such by the media and critics that don’t, at the very basic level, “get it.” Will Sound Proof appeal to die-hard fans of singer/songwriter oriented music? Probably not. If you worship at the altar of “three chords and the truth,” this album may not float your boat. But if you appreciate the artistry of musicians that have done all that’s possible to excel at their craft, this album might give you quite a lot to think about. Sound Proof is clear proof of a modern guitarist that has, without a doubt, found his sound.

(Chris Cooper can be reached at thumbpick43@yahoo.com)