Dimitiriou's Jazz Alley welcomes GRAMMY-nominated funk-jazz-soul-hip-hop-psychedelic-jam-experimental titans LETTUCE, for four nights and six shows. Band members are: Nigel Hall (vocals, Hammond B3, Rhodes, clavinet, and keys), Ryan Zoidis (alto, baritone, tenor sax, Korg X-911), Eric "Benny" Bloom (trumpet, horns), Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff (guitar), Erick "Jesus" Coomes (bass), and Adam Deitch (drums and percussion). This show is supported by KNKX.
ARTIST INFO
Touring in support of their new release, Cook, Lettuce isn’t just giving a nod to musical heat; it’s an invitation to join the band at the table, where funk, soul, jazz, rock, and hip-hop come together in one rich, flavorful dish.
Released on their own Lettuce Records label, the band’s next studio album offers a menu of delights that marks a band exploring new sonic territory. For these six life-long partners, the new songs feel like a nourishing meal that entices all of your senses.
Like 2019’s Elevate, 2020’s Resonate and 2022’s Unify, before it, Cook was recorded at Colorado Sound just outside East Coast transplants Deitch, Smirnoff, and Bloom’s adopted home of Denver, where they gathered in one room to work on the new material. Ryan Zoidis did a masterful job mixing the final results with longtime Grammy-nominated engineer Jesse O’Brien.
Coming off tours with both rap icon GZA of Wu-Tang Clan and reggae legend Ziggy Marley while earlier this year releasing the live album and concert film Lettuce with the Colorado Symphony capturing over 90 minutes of collaborative symphonic arrangements with the Colorado Symphony, Lettuce has expanded its ever-widening musical palette again with the new release.
“This record is a little more three-dimensional than our past albums,” added Deitch. “It shows a lot more sides to the band, exploring further depths of production and arrangements.”
One can hear the Wu-Tang Clan vibe on “Storm’s Coming,” which could well be a lost track from (36 Chambers), while working with an orchestra can be traced in the epic cinematic score of the closing “Ghost of Yest,” which Deitch terms, “a cool tune that has symphonic influences.”
Listening to hard-to-categorize, multi-genre bands from around the world also impacted the sessions for Cook, which reflects the global outreach that led Lettuce to put out the recently re-released Live in Tokyo back in 2004. Touring plans for Cook include a return trip to Japan as well as dates in Europe and Australia.
Still, there’s a generous dose of Lettuce’s patented funk, paying tribute to the great James Brown and his JB’s on the slow-heater groove, “Clav It Your Way,” marked by composer Ryan “Zoid” Zoidis’ cool, laid-back but funky saxophone, the classic Lettuce tune of “Gold Tooth” and a pair of spirited homages to mentors like Tower of Power (“Keep On,” with a co-writing credit for the band leader and original member of TOP, Emilio Castillo). On “The Mac,” the band pays tribute to the great JB sax player Maceo Parker, with whom the band had the honor of collaborating with several years back.
The track “Breathe” is described by Deitch as “a chill, hip-hop-flavored joint,” which begins with the sound of crickets, while horn player Eric “Benny” Bloom credited the song for allowing him “to think of all the possibilities my future holds if I just listen to myself and... BREATHE.” The title track is “a wild and crazy funk tune written at a party in Denver,” according to Deitch, while Bloom called it, “a hip little banger of a song to put a stank face on.”
The band also recently announced the launch of Lettuce Red Crush and Orange Crush wine brands with Aquila Cellars, as well as a recipe book of pairings to be included with the vinyl album and in digital form.
“Music and food are very related,” said Deitch. “Use the wrong ingredients in either and you can ruin the sound and the meal.”
With Cook, it appears Lettuce has the right recipe for success... both musically and organizationally.
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