Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Lettuce: Elevate

Lettuce: Elevate

By Doug Collette
June 23, 2019
View read count

In what is perhaps an act of self-fulfilling purpose,

Lettuce

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.1992

" data-original-title="" title="">Lettuce lives up to the title of this album, despite the fact it is not the same band that recorded Rage (Velour Recordings, 2008) or Fly (Velour Recordings, 2012). The current lineup is missing the two main instrumentalists from that pinnacle of progression: guitarist

Eric Krasno

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Krasno and keyboardist Neal Evans are now devoting themselves to various and sundry projects including the revival of

Soulive

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Soulive, so guitarist Adam "Shmeeans" Smirnoff remains the sole fretboarder while keyboardist and vocalist

Nigel Hall

keyboards

" data-original-title="" title="">Nigel Hall is now firmly ensconced in the roles he has frequently assumed over the years as guest sit-in.

The reconfigured Lettuce wisely makes no overt attempt to replicate in the studio what they do on stage. For instance, the opening cut, "Trapezoid," works as much by dint of the space between the resounding drums of

Adam Deitch

drums
b.1976

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam Deitch and the interstellar synths of Hall, while the dub version that closes the album might be superfluous if it did not work so well on its own terms. The horns of saxophonist

Ryan Zoidis

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Ryan Zoidis and trumpeter Eric "Benny" Bloom softly blow a Sketches of Spain air over and through the arrangements, a reminder of the courage Lettuce displayed in its tribute to

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis on Witches Stew (Lettuce Records, 2017).

Similar airy tones reappear, albeit to a slightly lesser extent, within the dense "Krewe," itself a marked contrast to the exposition of

Earth, Wind & Fire

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Earth, Wind & Fire influences in the form of "Royal Highness." Lettuce has almost always done justice to its roots and here pays honest homage without simply recycling chord progressions or horn charts. Meanwhile, the fluid interactions they've honed on tour, in recent years, add a decidedly human element to these studio proceedings; the bane of funk is a mechanical feel and there's not an iota of it on "Shmink Dabby," to name just one cut.

Instead, there's a hypnotic atmosphere arising from such tracks, a sensation all the more surprising—and pleasing—-because Lettuce's musicianship continues to carry such a visceral impact. And that's even apart from the piercing guitar figures from Smirnoff; a complex layering of instruments calls for discerning listening to Elevate on headphones in order to fully appreciate such attention to detail. The glossy sonic sheen on "Gang Ten," the longest cut here at thirteen plus minutes, is only the most overt evidence of Lettuce's skilled self-production.

Sequencing to follow in quick succession the

Sly and the Family Stone

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Sly and the Family Stone-derived syncopation of "Larimar" reaffirms how technical virtues combine with the tightly-knit unity of the band to mitigate the loss of their former main instrumentalists, while the dramatic unfurling of "Purple Cabbage" reaffirms that notion. Covering Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" Lettuce doesn't belabor its soulful point; instead, the sextet once again repays its debt to

Maurice White

" data-original-title="" title="">Maurice White and company in more clever (and indirect) fashion than the

Stevie Wonder

vocals
b.1950

" data-original-title="" title="">Stevie Wonder retread "Ready to Live."

Based on a contrast of acoustic (!?) and electric guitars, the punchy funk-rock of "Love Is Too Strong" features a cameo vocal from, potential Dixie rock icon of the future, guitarist

The Marcus King Band

guitar

" data-original-title="" title="">The Marcus King Band, a move fully representative of the provocative unpredictable group persona Lettuce exhibits throughout Elevate.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Trapezoid; Royal Highness Krewe; Shmink Dabby; Everybody Wants to Rule The World; Gang Ten; Ready To Live; Larimar; Love Is Too Strong; Purple Cabbage; Trapezoid Dub

Personnel

Lettuce

band / ensemble / orchestra

Adam ��Shmeeans�� Smirnoff: guitar; Nigel Hall: keyboards, vocals; Erick "Jesus" Coomes: bass; Adam Deitch: drums, percussion; Ryan Zoidis: saxophone; Eric ��Benny�� Bloom: trumpet.

Album information

Title: Elevate | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Lettuce Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

The Nice Jazz Orchestra At The Opera...
< Previous

Mike Lee has a Song for All of Us
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.